


Becoming His Angel

by Chocobocolina



Category: Final Fantasy VII
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, F/M, Family versus Love, Heartache, Loss of Virginity, Love Confessions, Possible Character Death, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Sex, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-19
Packaged: 2018-12-24 00:09:09
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 46,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12000804
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chocobocolina/pseuds/Chocobocolina
Summary: While being the twin sister of Cloud and having a relationship with Reno, the infamous Turk, life couldn't be any better - that is, until Amalia discovers that he and the rest of the Shinra group have been keeping secrets about her safety. How will she muster the courage to live through the lies, deceit and love that surround her every day life as a former AVALANCHE member?





	1. Chapter 1

“Name?”

Sitting at a cherry wood desk piled high with papers, a young man glanced at an open, somewhat thick folder in his hand, his eyes fixed solely on the content he was engaged into reading. The man ran a hand through his dark brown locks, his eyes never once leaving the one name he decided to concentrate on. After a few moments of silence, the young man turned his gaze upwards at the person he labeled as his assistant who stood in front of the desk, arms held behind his back; the young man was waiting for the answer to his monotone question.

“Amalia Strife, sir.” The young man cringed and slightly smiled at the sound of the name.

“And you’re sure that this is truly her?”

“Positive. We’ve cross-referenced her name and the town that she now resides me. Based upon that, we’ve interviewed several people asking about her personally – what she does, where she came from and if she’s done anything significant in the past few years. But it’s definitely her, sir. There’s no one else on the planet with that name that originally derived from Nibelheim; especially considering where she lives.”

“And that would be…?”

“Edge, sir; the city next to Midgar.” The young man nodded at this answer. After all these years…

“Perfect.” The assistant cleared his throat and the young man peered at him over the top of a particular paper he was still gazing at. “What is it?”

“Sir, if I may ask a question.”

The young man sighed, the folder falling from his fingers onto the desk with a thunk that echoed throughout the room. “If you think it is worth my time, then ask.”

“What are you planning to do with this…Amalia Strife…once you find her?”

Snickering, the young man leaned his elbows against the wood of his desk and held his chin in his hands. His cold eyes pierced right through the assistant who stood in place as diligently as he could muster. The force of the stare from his boss was causing him to become uncomfortable but he couldn’t afford to show any weakness. He had heard the stories of the previous assistant before him who had displayed weakness. And he was never heard from again. The assistant swallowed the bile currently rummaging through his throat. After a few quiet, desolate minutes, the young man arched a cocky eyebrow and finally asked “Are you sure you want me to provide you with that information?”

“Only if you think I can handle it, sir.” Oh, this assistant is smarter than the last one, the young man thought to himself.

But he shook his head. “No, I don’t think now is the time for you to know. But,” the man stood from his seat and walked towards his assistant who began to tremble, but immediately any fear he might have had vanished. Standing directly in front of his assistant, the two men were nearly eye level. “I will tell you that this woman is the key to my plans for saving the world. In due time, you shall see. We all shall see how marvelous of a woman this Amalia Strife truly is!”

“That is vital information, sir; I thank you for sharing this with me.” He bowed, out of politeness. “What is it you would like me to do now?”

“Gather as much information as you can about this woman.”

“Anything in particular?”

Briskly walking away from his assistant, the man sat in his chair and reclaimed the top paper from the folder into his hand, staring at the picture it provided of the woman he had been searching for. She eluded his dreams, seared his memories and scorched his ability to gain any sleep. Her different colored eyes within the photo penetrated into the very soul she claimed he didn’t have. The assistant stood there, not knowing whether to just leave or wait until his boss gave him another answer. 

“I want you to discover whether she is romantically involved with another person.”

“Uh, sir?”

“Just do it!”

“Yes, sir!” Fleeing from his spot, the assistant left the growing anger of his boss, not wanting to see what the he would do if he had stayed behind and asked more questions. 

As the door behind his assistant clicked shut, the young man swiveled his chair around until he facing the glass windows which covered the entire wall behind his desk. Paper still in hand, he had let his anger get the best of him. And it was all because of her! He crushed his hand around the paper, crinkling the section around the picture. Breathing deeply and forcing his anger aside, he released his grip and stood, walking closer to the windows and examined the scenery outside his office. Closing his eyes, he pictured the attractiveness of her picture within his mind, not once forgetting how beautiful she had always been. The slits of his eyes barely opened, his teeth clenched together and he could taste the metallic sense of blood within his mouth.

“I’ve finally found you, Amalia. And this time, I won’t let you out of my grasp.”

~ oOo ~

Off in the distance, an alarm clock sounded, sending an annoying, constant ring across the room the tiny device was trapped in. A hand slammed down on the device, turning its maddening sound off for good. Sitting up and pulling the covers off of her slender body, a young female stood from the bed, long tresses of dirty blonde hair fell across her back. Stretching towards the heavens, she locked her hands above her head and popped her back in several places; a groan escaped her lips. That felt amazing, she thought. 

Looking down towards the blinking numbers on the clock behind her, she noticed that it was a few minutes before seven in the morning. Walking across the hardwood flooring towards the window, she parted the curtain and noticed the sun was barely leaking across the horizon; it was time for a new day. Grinning, the young lady walked back across the room to her closet, rubbing the sleep from her weary eyes. Looking through the hole in her room that held all of her clothes, she came across her spandex running shorts and a tight, blue tank top. Grabbing these items, she quickly changed into a sports bra and placed the other items of clothing over her body as well. 

Sitting down on the edge of the bed, she pulled her knees to her chest and held them there for a while. Her mind wondered to things she didn’t really want to think about so early in the morning, but she couldn’t help herself. Her eyes wandered across the wood flooring and the plastered walls, until they landed on a calendar pinned to the wall next to the nightstand. Decorated with chocobos and moogles of various colors, she eyed one particular date that was circled in red. Stand, the girl made her way to the calendar as her fingers traced the date May seventeenth; the last day she had seen him. He was her rock, the person she had been with the longest and the one person she wanted to desperately see every day. 

And almost four weeks later, she still hadn’t seen his face. His boss had sent him and his colleagues on an important mission and he had told her they would be gone for an extended amount of time, but she hadn’t anticipated just how long he would be gone. He had been dispatched on longer missions, but each before this one had brief interval periods where they were able to see each other for a day before he had left again. Occasionally he would have the free time to call her and assure her that he was safe and sound, but the fear that she wouldn’t see him again was always present within her heart. But after all the years they had been together, she held a faith within him that wasn’t about to disappear. She knew he would come back; it was only a matter of time. Every day she had to remind herself that she never wanted to be one of those girls who obsessed over their man and had to know where he was every second of the day. She trusted him with her life and if she had to wait several more months until she had the chance to see him again – then so be it. 

Walking back towards the bed, she sat down and placed her feet in a pair of running shoes then spent a few minutes stretching her still-limp muscles before finally treading downstairs. Ridding her thoughts about her man, she pounced down each step; she could hear the whispers of people downstairs, each talking to the other even though it was still fairly early in the morning. Landing on the final step, she stayed in place, wanting to overhear the voices, both a female and a male, that were speaking just a few feet from around the corner. 

“Are their many deliveries today?”

“No…not many. Just a few, I shouldn’t be home as late as I usually am but…we’ll see.” The young lady hiding on the stairs stifled a giggle as she heard the two speak to one another. Stepping out from her hiding space, she entered the main area of the building; a bar took up most of the area to the left with chairs and small tables sat in front of the counter and covered the rest of the available space. The two people who were talking turned to look at the person who had just came down the stairs. With long, almost-black tresses of her own, the female smiled and handed a glass of milk to the other female. “Well there you are, Amalia. I didn’t think you were going to go for a run today.”

The girl laughed. “Yeah I know, but I decided that it was ok to sleep in for once.” 

“Sleep in? You set your alarm to go off at seven. Would you count that as getting the chance to sleep in?”

“I would, considering I’m almost always up before that on a daily basis.” The girl sat down on a barstool; the male stood next to the corner before deciding to take a seat as well. “Hey Tifa, you starting to make breakfast?”

Tifa laughed. “Of course, but all I have so far is toast.” She grabbed a plate from behind that held a few already prepared pieces, all golden brown and crispy with a few that were already buttered and ready to eat. 

“I’ll take that!” She grabbed one and took a bite and grabbed another before she could even finish the first. The already melted butter melted some more in her mouth and she smiled in happiness. 

“Ashe…” The girl turned to look at the male who was now sitting beside her, a piece of toast caught in her mouth; her wide, blue and green eyes staring at him. She radiated a loving heat on the inside at the nickname her brother had given her when they were younger. Cloud was one of two people who ever called her that and they were the only ones allowed to call her such a name and everyone knew that. “If you’re going for a run, you need to eat more than toast.”

Amalia smiled and swallowed the bite she had taken. Shrugging her shoulders she grabbed a third piece from the plate and laughed. “I’ll be alright Cloud, you know how I am.”

“Doesn’t make it right on your body, Ashe.”

“Touché, but would it make you feel better if I said I wasn’t even hungry?”

Cloud’s blue eyes turned in her direction as Tifa stood behind the counter, mesmerized by the sibling encounter that has happening in front of her eyes. “Then how come you’re eating toast?”

Looking at the piece in her left hand and the other in her right she sighed. “Why do you have to be so technical?”

“Because I know you hate it.” In reply to her brother’s words, Amalia stuck her tongue out and mumbled to herself, continuing to shove pieces of toast into her watering mouth. 

Still being ignored, Tifa stifled a laugh and the siblings turned their attention back to the bartender. “Do you two realize how cute you are right now?”

“Cute?” Both she and Cloud asked in unison.

“Yes! Don’t you guys remember I grew up with you as children? I know how you two have always acted towards one another. But to see it now is priceless.”

Cloud narrowed his eyes at her. “Priceless…alright, a word I never thought I’d choose. We’re just being us and doing what we always have done.”

“Exactly. But you, my dearest Cloud,” Tifa leaned forward and pecked a kiss upon his cheek. “Will never understand.”

“Oooooooo lala!” Blushing from the small intimate moment between her brother and Tifa – his girlfriend and he longtime friend – she swiveled in her barstool seat and laughed hysterically. “You two are so priceless!”

“Hey! Don’t go stealing my word!”

“Sorry!” She smiled, flashing her teeth indicating she meant no harm. “But it was too good to pass up!”

“Yeah, yeah…” On the stove behind her, the meat Tifa had been grilling produced a sizzling sound which, as the seconds ticked on, grew louder until she had to turn her attention back to her cooking. “Damn it you two! You’ll make me burn breakfast if I keep ignoring it!”

“We can’t make you do anything, Tifa.” Cloud responded nonchalantly. The bartender turned her head and stuck her tongue out of him before flipping the many sausages that were still cooking in the pan.

“Hey don’t go stealing my sticking-out-tongue-action!”

“Sorry,” Tifa winked in Amalia’s direction.” Too good to pass up.”

Amalia finished the remaining slices of toast she had in her hands and stood from her seat. Leaning back, she stretched the too-tightened muscles, hoping to relieve them for her upcoming run. Cloud turned to her.

“Sure you don’t want to eat?”

“Yes Cloud. If I eat it’ll make me sick.” She started to head towards the door then back-tracked her steps to her brother. “Oh yeah, did you need my help with any of the deliveries today?”

“No, I’ll be fine for today. But I might need your help in a couple of days. A customer has several packages that need to be delivered to Kalm and I won’t have enough room on Fenrir to deliver them.”

“Sure, no problem! Give me a date and time and I’ll be there!” Heading to the door once again, she held her hand on the doorknob. “Alright, I’m off! I’ve got my cell if you need anything!” With a click of the door shutting, Cloud turned his attention back to Tifa who had a plate of sizzling sausages in her hand. Placing the plate of the counter, she looked at Cloud.

“You’re sister is something else, isn’t she?”

“Ashe is Ashe (1); we wouldn’t want her any other way.”

“That’s true.”

“And we all love Amalia for being herself and not pretending to be someone she’s not.”

“You more above everybody else in the world.” 

Cloud’s hand reached out towards the plate that had the toast on it and smiled when he was only able to grab one; his sister, who said she wasn’t even hungry, ate the entire plate of buttered bread. Taking a bite of the last piece, he glanced up at Tifa. “I highly doubt that.”

Tifa arched an eyebrow. “You think there is someone out there who loves your sister more than you?”

“You don’t?”

The bartender shrugged. “Amalia just…doesn’t seem like the person to be with another person.”

It was Cloud’s turn to raise an eyebrow. “Wanna bet?”


	2. Chapter 2

Amalia’s feet punched the ground as she flew against the wind. 

After leaving the bar, she decided to quickly stretch her calve muscles one more time then she immediately began to run through Edge, the city both she and her brother, Cloud, and Tifa resided in after the fall of Meteor and the destruction of Midgar. It had been almost four years since the incident, and as Amalia bound her way through the ever-bustling and growing city; she only smiled at the progress the people of Gaia had made. 

One by one her feet stretched across the city until Amalia found herself leaving the outer walls of Edge. Not knowing where she was headed, Amalia just followed wherever her feet led her. Looking across the scenery outside of the city, Amalia only wished that there was more greenery; more trees, more grass, and definitely more flowers. Flowers…Amalia laughed to herself. Her love of anything green had always been a trait of hers, but it started to grow more intense after Aeris’ death, which is why she always, always had a plant growing in her bedroom, no matter the season.

The more she ran, the more her breathing became ragged. Following the advice her mother had given her as a young child to breathe in through the nose and out through the mouth. Her heart beat fast but she was able to continue at her steady pace. The blur of the people around her became a mirage as she ran passed everyone in the city. Some looked on at her graceful presence while others merely ignored her while they continued on with their daily lives. Glancing upon the people she could make out, and waved to all but a few, Amalia thought back to the bar when Tifa kissed her brother. Was she jealous? No – she had no reason to be. Did it make her giddy whenever she saw their “intimacy”? Always.

Was she happy for Cloud? Without a doubt – she had always hoped that the two of them would end up together and, even if it took some time, their “coupling up” was inevitable. After the fall of Meteor, Cloud had become distant – even to Amalia – because he couldn’t cope with Aeris’ death and how he blamed himself for her loss. But after the Reunion two years ago, Cloud had decided to take the chance and reconnect with all their friends, Tifa included. Since then, they had been together; inseparable with limits could be a possible way to describe their reconnecting relationship. And Amalia couldn’t have been happier for her brother. She knew Cloud was happy and if he was cheerful with his life, even if he had an odd way of showing it, and the way he led it, then so was she.

What is it about a run that is so refreshing? Amalia thought. The pounding of the feet, the beating of the heart and the thumping of the head was enough to clear anyone’s senses. She had no idea where she was even heading and to her, that was the best part of escaping from life and “running away” but always “coming back.” Every time she escaped, Amalia always imagined she was flying, having the ability to release some tension and think about her needs and what she needed. She could run and leap for leagues on end and always find a new spot she had never been to, each place allowing her to look back and recollected about the life she had been living up until that point.

Several thoughts ran through Amalia’s head as the wind scratched her face. Let’s see, I attempted to join SOLDIER along with Cloud, I, unwillingly, had experiments conducted on my body that created me as I am today, I ended up saving the planet with my friends from a mass destruction of the world, I’ve helped people to take back their lives and live the fullest they can…

As she continued to push her body towards the further limits she was granted during Hojo’s insane scientific experiments, Amalia glanced back within just the last few years. She had, unimaginably, been granted the chance to fall in love with the perfect man that ever walked on Gaia. True, he wasn’t actually perfect per se, but to her, he was everything she never thought she would want in a man. He had killed people and so had she; he followed orders and did what he believed was right and as did she; he was the enemy and, technically, she was as well. Amalia’s heart beat faster despite the pace she was pushing herself – she couldn’t help but blush and become heated as his face molded from her memory. Whatever had happened in the past was done for and neither could escape what they each had equally done; all they could do was look into the future together and create a game plan for life they would diligently follow. 

Glancing at the ground, she noticed that she was heading uphill and by the time Amalia knew what she was doing, she found herself standing above a cliff, overlooking the vast expanse of territory that separated Edge and where she stood. Her chest heaved up and down as her lungs began to reach a calm she hadn’t felt since she began her morning run. Closing her eyes, it took a few minutes for her breathing to find a steady pace where she didn’t feel so lightheaded. Opening her eyes to the bright sun that stood directly above her, Amalia once again scanned the vast area that surrounded her. She knew it was there she could feel its presence, she was just simply ignoring it until she could no longer overlook where her body had led her. 

Standing directly in front of her was the sword – the buster sword that had belonged to Zack. Amalia took a few steps forward until her hands grazed the metal underneath the handle. A smiled appeared on her lips and she laughed out loud. “Still rusting I see? Well I wonder how long it’ll take before you’re completely bronze.” She looked into the sky. “Hey Aeris – you up there? You better tell Zack his sword’s turning completely orange unless he tells someone to clean it up for him!” Amalia chuckled again until she had to hold her stomach, attempting to hold back a monster of a laugh. Neither anger nor sadness gripped the edge of her consciousness; the death of her friends had occurred years ago and she had enough time to mourn and come to the conclusion that they were never coming back. As much as she missed them both, she kept explaining to herself that they were in a better world – and they were together.

“Oh!” 

A chocobo is calling you, kweh! A chocobo is calling you, kweh!

She twisted her waist around and grabbed the phone which was held in place between her hip and her shorts. The sound of her ringtone caught her off guard and another smile, a wider one, appeared on her face as she recognized the caller ID that flashed against the screen. Answering the phone, she said “Hello?”

“Well hey there cuteness, got a minute?” A male’s voice protruded from her end and she could imagine the face of the one who was calling her. 

Walking around on the edge of the cliff Amalia replied, “Yeah I’ve got a minute. I was just taking a break from my morning run.”

“Oh, so you decided to take a run today? Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“And why wouldn’t it be? You know I like to go running, what’s the harm in that?”

“N – Nothing, you just need to be careful out there. Anything could suddenly attack you out there.”

“What’s gonna attack me out here?”

“Anything creepy-crawly, has claws and will attack you for no apparent reason!” his voice was becoming heavy and Amalia could tell the idea of her being out on her own was bugging him. 

“Hey, Turk,” She flat lined her voice, purposely speaking in a monotonous degree of tone. “You do know who you’re talking to, right? I was a part of AVANLANCHE; you know, the group who defeated Sephiroth, saved the planet and… Oh yeah! We kicked your ass as well!”

“Alright, alright I get the point. Just, promise me you’ll be careful, ok? That’s all I’m gonna ask for, yo.”

“I shall do my best.”

The man sighed on the other end knowing defeat was inevitable. Amalia was stubborn in her own right and he knew that, although she was listening to his advice, she wouldn’t really take it when she didn’t see a point. “Good, I guess I’ll take that. So then, where did you head off too this time?”

“It’s not a matter of where I wanted to go, but where my body decided to fly me too.”

“Oh?”

“I’m at the cliff, looking at Zack’s sword.”

The male on the other end sighed and Amalia knew what he was going to tell her. “Babe…why do you torture yourself like that?”

“It’s not torture, more like…reminiscing. It’s been so long since I’ve feet any pain when I look at it.” Amalia stopped pacing and stood directly in front of the sword again. “Besides, thinking back on the past isn’t a bad thing from time to time.” The male on the other end laughed a little and Amalia knew there was a reason why he had decided to call her; she could hear it in his voice. “Alright mister – spill. Why did you call me?”

“What? I can’t simply call and talk to the most beautiful girl in the world?” Amalia remained silent for a minute. “Was that a bit much?”

She stifled a giggle. “I give you brownie points for trying.”

“Damn,” he muttered into the phone. “At least I tried, yo. But, in all seriousness, I want to see you. Do you have time today?”

Amalia closed her eyes and tried to think if there was anything she had to do today. “No, I think I’m free. I – wait! I just remembered! What about your mission? Is it over - are you finally back? How did it go?” She talked excitedly into her phone, unaware that the caller was attempting to get her attention.

“Ashe.”

“Were you guys successful? Did everyone do ok?”

“Ashe?”

“What about you, did you have any -”

“Ashe!” She instantly shut her mouth and became silent. The voice on the other end immediately began to produce a full hearty-laugh; she knew there was a smile on his lips, something she wanted to desperately see for herself; to touch, to feel, to skim her own lips over his. Talking on the phone just wasn’t enough for her anymore. “Angel, just calm down ok? The mission was a success and we’re all ok. Well, almost all of us.”

“What do you mean?”

“Hey, you answer my question first and I’ll answer yours; are you free today?”

“Well of course I am; I told Cloud that if he needs anything he can call me. So until then, I can and will spend all my time with you, if that’s what you’re asking?” She smiled on her side and when the male chuckled at his, she could tell that he was still smiling. “If your mission is over, where you at? Your apartment?”

“No, I’m over at Healen taking care of a few things.”

“Why are you there?” She gasped into the phone and clutched it tighter to her face. “You didn’t get hurt did you?!”

“Are you kidding me? I’m invincible, yo. I didn’t get hurt but Elena did. Nothing too serious, just a monster snuck up on her and slashed her arm pretty good. She’ll be here for a few days.” He heard Amalia release a breath, one she hadn’t noticed that she had been holding. “We just got back within the last hour and I called as soon as I had a moment.”

“Oh, well ok. So now that you’re mission is done what’s the plan? Do you still have to work for the rest of the day?”

“Nope, I was given a few days off because Elena’s stuck here so the boss said we could go home. And I want to spend all my time with you. Would it be easier if I just met you at the apartment?”

“No, no! I’ll meet you there. I’d like to say hi to everyone!”

“Uh, I’d feel more comfortable if I met you at my place babe.”

“Seriously? What’s going to harm me on the way to Healen? More monsters?”

“You never know!”

Amalia sighed into the phone. “Spill it mister, why are you being so protective right now? You’re acting as if you don’t want me out on my own.”

He stayed quiet for a while, not quite sure how to provide an answer until he had no choice left; even if his only option was still truthful, it just wasn’t the type of truthful information he wanted to be able to tell her. “Angel, we haven’t seen each other in weeks other than a few rare phone calls. I’ve been worried sick about you and I just don’t want you to get hurt.”

“Again, one of the heroes who saved Gaia?”

“I know babe…” The man sighed once more, knowing, again, that defeat was certain and definitely in his future. “Alright, meet me here at Healen. But please be careful.”

“Aye-aye, captain! I still want to see everyone else while I’m there as well!”

“And I’m sure they’d love to see you too.”

“Give me some time to head back into town and to take a shower. I’d rather be clean when I see you then and not all…sweaty.” Amalia gently touched my arm. “Oh, and sticky too.” She couldn’t help but to giggle.

“Aww…but I like it when you’re sweaty.” Amalia growled into the phone. “Ok, ok Ashe I get it. Just text me when you’re leaving Edge, ok? And stay safe, make sure you’re swords are in the bike with you.”

“Will do, Turkey.”

“Love you babe. Stay safe, yo.”

“Love you too, Reno.” And Amalia ended the call as the last word left her lips. The last word she loved to pronounce time and time again. 

~ oOo ~

Now that she had plans, Amalia sprinted as fast as she could back to Seventh Heaven. Using the abilities she had acquired by pretending to be a First Class SOLDIER she jumped across rocks and skipped across mass sections of land until she reached the gates to the city. Running through the winding streets of the city, she narrowly avoided hitting people and always replied “sorry” if she accidently did hit someone; which she did – multiple times. Although it had been quicker than when she had started running earlier that morning, it seemed as if time passed rather slowly when she left the cliff on the outskirts of town, as if even the goddess of time wasn’t pulling her strings before Amalia could see the one person she wanted to see and hold the most. But once her feet found their way home, she slowed her paced but barged into the door, tripping over the welcome mat that lay on the ground and tumbled inside the bar as the door burst open the closed with much ferocity as she stumbled her way into the empty building. 

Tripping over her own two-feet, she performed several summersaults before her body decided to stop. Landing painfully on her back, she panted, unable to catch a smooth rhythm of breathing to calm her beating heart. Amalia looked up at the ceiling to find Tifa leaning over her with wide, curious eyes. “Amalia, are you all right? Why do you sound as if you’re being chased?” The bartender held her hand out and Amalia grabbed it, somehow needing the help to stand on her own two feet. Her heart was still pounding against her ribcage and she had to take slow, deep breaths in order to concentrate on her thoughts. 

“S-sorry… I was… I am…” Placing her hands one her knees she leaned forward and breathed until she could form a correct sentence. Tifa walked behind the counter and came back with a cold glass of water in her hand, which she gave to her friend. Smiling as she took the glass, Amalia drank the cup in a few gulps and held the empty glass in her hand. “Ahh, much better.” Though her heart was still beating like crazy, she could somewhat breathe normally and that was good enough for her. “I was out running and got a call to go meet a friend who’s out at Healen. So I ran back here so I could change and head there as fast as I could.”

Tifa blinked her eyes a few times, nodded then took the empty glass from Amalia’s hands before heading behind the counter again. “I didn’t know you had any friends who were at Healen. Are they ok?”

“Oh yeah, they’re fine. They were visiting a friend there and want me to pick them up. So I might not be back for a couple of days.” Glancing up the stairs, she asked, “Is Cloud home?”

Tifa shook her head. “No, he got a call for a delivery so he’s gone. Marlene and Denzel are also out, they’re with Barrett.”

“Ah, alright. Well, I’m gonna get ready, just holler if you need anything.” And with that, she pounded up the stairs taking two at a time. Walking into her room, she shut the door and immediately began to discard the drenched clothing that was sticking to her glistening body. Jumping into the bathroom that was attached to her own room, Amalia took a quick shower, but was still able to shampoo and condition her hair, which now smelled like cherry blossoms, her favorite scent. When both her hair and body were scrubbed clean, she dried herself off and dressed into her clothes; short denim shorts, a white short-sleeved shirt with a black button-up over the white with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, then she put on her black ankle boots (1), only tying the laces halfway where the top flaps fell downward. She towel dried her hair as best she could but left it, knowing the wind would dry it for her and straighten it at the same time, considering her hair naturally straightened all on its own. Grabbing a small duffel bag from her closet, she threw in a few pieces of clothes, mainly a several items of underwear and bras, and one or two shirts, depending if there was an item she particularly wanted to wear; everything else she could find at Reno’s house. 

Standing, Amalia looked at herself in the mirror that hung behind her door and she liked what she saw. There was a natural blush on her cheeks from running around her room but there was something missing. Her eyes widened when she realized that she wasn’t wearing the necklace. Grabbing a black box off of her nightstand, she opened it up and grabbed the jewelry that was safely inside. It was a flat sculpture of a chocobo where the beak and feet were silver but the feathers were a rich royal blue; her favorite color. Placing the necklace over her head, Amalia smiled at how the piece fit right at the spot where her breasts began to form along her chest. Happy with the end result of hurrying to get ready, Amalia looked at her phone and noticed that it was a little after eleven. Oh, that’s not too bad, she thought. If I leave now I should be there sometime after noon. 

Grabbing the semi-full bag off the floor and shutting the door behind her, Amalia made her way downstairs where Tifa was still working behind the counter. She was scrubbing pots and pands, shot glasses and beer mugs. Considering she was also good at multitasking, she was preparing lunch, potentially for whenever the kids were to arrive back home with Barrett; but with all the excitement she had contained within herself, Amalia didn’t even feel hungry. Tifa looked up from her work as she heard her friend walk down the stairs. “Leaving already?”

“Yep, I’m gone. Tell Cloud where I’m at and that I’m just a phone call away.”

“Got it Amalia. Have fun, and tell your friend I said hi!” Tifa flashed a small smile and went back to cutting the sandwiches she was preparing, watching as her childhood friend walked out of her sight through the back door. She continued working on lunch, knowing that the kids would be home relatively soon. Healen Lodge, she thought. Why would she have any friends over there? I better mention this to Cloud when he returns.

Amalia nodded her head and, this time, exited through the back door where she kept her bike; the precious bike that Reno had helped her choose. Closing the door behind her and locking it, she heaved the strap of her bag over her shoulders, instead of placing it in the end compartment, and pulled the cover off of her bike. Hers was similar to Cloud’s, the only difference being hers was blue and she called it Shiva. Throwing a leg over the seat, Amalia ignited the beast and brought it back to life after a while of not driving it. Reaching down below where the speedometer was, she pressed a button and a compartment opened, revealing the special goggles Reno had given her as a gift for when she purchased the bike a year ago. They were an exact copy to the one’s he always wore on his forehead; he had given her the gift because she always loved to play with his whenever she had the chance to snatch them off of his head. 

Grabbing her phone out of the bag, she quickly sent a message to Reno saying she was about to leave and that she’d be there after twelve. Securing that the phone was safe once again in the bag that was on her back, she made sure that the goggles were securely in place over her eyes before she kicked the bike into gear as the wind instantaneously blew against her face. Within a matter of seconds, Amalia found herself already outside the limits of the city and when she found the sign directing her towards Healen, she couldn’t help but smile as she turned Shiva to follow the road the sign had guided her. Soon baby, I will see you.


	3. Chapter 3

Amalia’s legs were beginning to cramp after sitting on her bike for over an hour; she hadn’t been on a semi-long journey that long in quite a while. The last trip she had taken that was fairly long was about a month prior with Cloud when she had helped him deliver a package to someone over towards the Chocobo Farm and an even longer one when they had traveled to Junon for a few days to negotiate with a client. But on this current trip, since she was all alone for the first time in a while, time seemed to pass by slowly and she mentally cursed time for being an ass, but before she knew it, Amalia was winding through the ever familiar mountain curves, making her way up to the entrance to the lodge. 

Healen - a place which became a sort of “HQ” for the members of the Shinra Electric Power Company after the fall of Midgar. It had also served as a place where Rufus could receive treatment for the geostigma he had succumbed too, just as Amalia and Cloud had. Although the medical treatment he had been using didn’t work, there came a cure when an angel from above rained a cure on the people living in a fallen world. Though it had been two years since the incident of the geostigma outbreak, Healen was still used as a placed where the Shinra scientists could still work on their research and where people could head to if they were in dire need of any medical attention. Rarely that was the case, so the place was mainly used to house the original Turks if they had become injured. No longer was it the “HQ” operations for the company, Rufus had ultimate built a structure within Edge that served as his new Headquarters. It was a nice building and Amalia had always admired the structure and the layout – completely different than the original that lay in ruins in Midgar.

Ridding her mind of the past that wasn’t so frightening the more she thought of it, Amalia looked up just in time at the building through her glasses as she made her way to the front entrance. Reaching the final curve, she thought she had seen a figure staring at her through the window but the blinds had closed before she could even begin to think of who it could be. Reno, Rude, Tseng – it could have been anyone. Hell, it could’ve been Rufus himself now that he wasn’t sick anymore and was able to walk around on his own, without being confined to a wheelchair. Reaching the stairs, Amalia wheeled Shiva around and sat on the bike for a few more minutes, again thinking about the past before she decided to head on up. 

It also worked as a great excuse to rest her cramping legs for a bit as well.

It had been a rough couple of years after she and her friends had tried to save the planet from Sephiroth’s wrath against the planet. She grew up despising the Shinra Company after what it had done to her, Cloud and Zack. But those feelings of anger were long past, especially now that she was with Reno, a man she never would have thought she’d end up with. He was the man who had collapsed the plate onto Sector 7 - he was the man who had chased them as the enemy – and he was the man who had won her heart. 

He had changed over the past few years and Amalia could see the difference. Reno was still his goofy, lazy ass self, but was still the hard worker she had always admired about him. Reno and the rest had acknowledged their mistakes and she had personally received an apology from all of them, even Rufus, and she could no longer hold a grudge. What would be the point if they each recognized their doing in what happened to the planet and the turmoil they indefinitely caused? Each day, she knew the small group worked their asses off to ensure that the planet remained as safe as it could be; safe enough for troubles they could handle within their limits. The love she held for the red-haired man grew from this conviction – she knew that Reno was working to keep the planet safe in any way he could. Her hate for the Turks had subsided a while ago, but the love she held for Reno and the world-saving group had only grown over the past few years. 

Amalia sighed and turned off the engine to the bike, finally taking off the bag that was still around her shoulders and placed it in the secure compartment that was hidden underneath her seat as well as placing the glasses back in their safe place. Why didn’t I just place it in there in the first place? Was I that excited to leave? Uh…yes, she thought. 

Taking slow, yet wide strides, she gradually made her way up the oh-so familiar ramp; but looking up she noticed a figure in black standing against the railing, his back turned towards her. The closer she got, the more she could tell it was him. His red mane flowed against his back as a gale of wind picked up and tousled the strands of hair. God, how she loved his hair and always wanted to thrust her hands into it and play with whatever she could grab. The male turned as he heard footsteps from behind him and he fully turned towards her as Amalia reached the top of the ramp. His red hair flared in the afternoon sunlight, the red cheekbone tattoos glowed against his porcelain skin. Amalia stood at the edge of the ramp, simply staring at the man she hadn’t seen in a few weeks. Her heart screamed at her to move and jump into his arms but her legs wouldn’t move; they became jelly and she wanted to fall to her knees but held the railing for support. 

“Amalia,” Reno breathed. His voice was enough to ignite her legs and before he could blink, she had run up to him and jumped into his ever waiting arms, tightly wrapping her arms around his neck. Her ashy blonde hair and his red clashed as he twirled her around the lodge deck; his hands tightened around her waist as hers crushed his neck. Reno brought her feet down towards the ground and crashed his hungry lips against her even hungrier ones. His large, masculine hand found her cheek, hers found his muscular chest; she could feel the warmth radiating off his chest through the opened work shirt he never cared to button. Their lips moved in one; if there were people watching them they didn’t care – they only wanted each other. Amalia hoped that he was longing for her as much as she did him. But judging by the way his hands roamed her back, she already knew the answer. Reno pulled back and Amalia couldn’t help but smile as she stared into his cerulean blue eyes. 

Reno looked into the eyes of the woman he thought he would never love. He hadn’t seen her face in a few weeks other than the picture he secretly kept inside of his wallet. It was a picture he had taken while she was unaware that he had a camera facing her. The sunlight captured and framed her face perfectly, creating a natural glow against her already beautiful features. She had been laughing at some joke he had said, her eyes lightly closed and her mouth slightly open, a small laugh escaping her lips. It was the only picture Reno kept of her on him at all times but it simply was not enough. They had been together for a few years and it was getting hard for the Turk to stay away from the only person who he had entrusted with his heart. 

Her skin felt so soft under his and Reno could smell her scent of cherry blossoms which, after a while, had become his favorite fragrance as well. Her cupped her cheek and brought her lips back to his. “Well hello beautiful,” he muttered as he pulled away for the second time. 

“Hello handsome,” she replied, her voice just as silky as he remembered it. Hearing her voice over the phone had never done him justice. Leaning down, he placed his forehead on hers, the two standing in the sunlight, basking in its warmth that it could provide the two lovers. Amalia looked into his eyes and brought her fingers to his cheek, lightly touching his red tattoos, a touch she had always done whenever Reno returned from a mission – it was something to ensure herself that he was there and that he wasn’t hurt. It was stupid of her to always do it but it made her happy on the inside and she didn’t want to let it go. 

Reno released a sigh and leaned forward for another kiss. God, I just cannot get enough of her. This kiss was a swift one and before it turned into anything else, he pulled back and brought her hands into his. Cocking his head to the side he asked, “Miss me?”

Amalia followed the same move and smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know?”

Reno’s eyes widened slightly. “Why you little -” he was cut off by her lips. Pulling away, again, he said, “You know, we can just skip saying hi to everyone and just head back to my place.” Amalia smacked his arm.

“No! I have to say hi to everyone, especially Elena. I want to see how she’s doing.” Reno held the spot where she smacked him and pretended that it hurt. “Oh you’re such a baby.”

“Am not.”

“Are too.”

“I am not.”

“You’re a baby when it comes to me.”

He stopped and thought about what she said. “Ok, that’s true, I can’t argue with that, yo. Alright, let’s go say hi so we can have some alone time for ourselves.” Pulling Amalia’s hand, Reno turned and opened the door to the main room of Healen. Amalia walked in as Reno shut the door behind her. The blinds along the opposite wall were open, letting in the sun’s beauty and allowing everyone to see the nature that existed behind the building. Scanning the room, no one was inside and Amalia gave a quizzical look up to Reno, who stood almost a full head taller than her. He just shrugged his shoulders and was about to say something when the only other door in the room opened and Rude walked out, his sunglasses still covering his face and his Turk attire was perfect as it always had been. Rude’s eyes looked up at the people in the building and before he could say anything as well, Amalia quickly ran up her lover’s partner-in-crime and squeezed her arms around his muscular torso. 

“Rude!” She smiled up at him as Reno stood by the front door watching what was happening in front of his eyes. A light blush grew on Rude’s cheek’s that hastily disappeared and he looked down at the random attacker. He, too, was taller than her and he ruffled the top of her head with his hand, a small smile forming on his lips as well, which was rare for the quiet, but deadly, Turk. 

“Hey Amalia, didn’t expect to see you here.”

“I know. But I wanted to see everyone and I heard Elena got hurt. How is she doing?” Amalia tried to peek over the Turk’s shoulders to see if the only female Turk was in the other room but she couldn’t see anything at all. 

“Elena? Oh she’s fine. Tseng’s with her now.”

Amalia switched her gaze between Reno and his partner. “Am I allowed to go and see her?”

“Of course you are, Amalia, she isn’t in critical condition.” A third person joined the group, his all white cotton suit flowing in motion as he stood beside Rude, arms crossed across his chest; blonde hair, white suit with a smirk across his face - Rufus Shinra. Before, if Amalia had been in the presence of Rufus, she would have most likely punched him straight in the jaw; but that was before she had received all of their apologies and had seen firsthand exactly what the Shinra group was now up to. She was pleased with their progress and, before she knew it, Amalia had grown a fondness for Rufus within her heart – she could see the good he was trying to bring to the world and, knowing that, it made her happy to think she could say he was her friend. 

Acknowledging the still President, Amalia held my hand out, waiting for him to shake it. “Rufus.” He nodded his head and placed his hand in Amalia’s extended one, but she pulled the man towards her in a hug, who actually chuckled and pulled away after a few seconds. “What?” she asked. “Afraid of a girl giving you a hug?”

“No,” he said weakly, nervously messing with his tie. “I am worried because your boyfriend is here in the same room.” She glanced back at Reno who casually leaned against the door, his arms crossed against his chest, eyes gleaming at Amalia. 

“What?” she asked him this time.

“Nothing,” Reno said. “I just find it amusing that you want to hug everyone you see.”

“Oh be quiet you, you’re not the only one I can show affection too. And besides,” Amalia looked back at Rude and Rufus. “These are people I haven’t seen for a while; it makes me happy knowing they’re safe.”

“I appreciate your concern, Amalia, but I am perfectly fine.”

“Nothing drastic since the geostigma incident, I hope?”

He raised an eyebrow at her and provided another smirk. “I could ask you the same.”

Amalia showed the President her left arm, one of the places the nasty disease had struck her body a few years prior. “Nope! I’m all healed as well!” She smiled brightly at him. 

He chuckled again. “You’re nothing but smiles and laughter, aren’t you?”

“No,” Amalia immediately answered. “I’ve had my fair share of saddened moments that I’m probably sure you’re aware of. However! Time has passed and we all need to look into the future. Isn’t that right, Tseng?” Amalia peered to the left of Rufus at Tseng, the head of the Turks and the man who was one position higher than Reno. He had just appeared beside the President and, although she was glad to see him as well, sadly, she also used him as a scapegoat to bounce away from the topic they had suddenly found themselves discussing. 

“I completely agree, Amalia. How have you been?” His firm face stayed the same, but Amalia could tell that he meant well. 

“Oh, I’ve been good, you know me. Helping out at the bar when I can and also helping out with the delivery business. So, is Elena in there? Can I…?”

“Of course you can,” Tseng stepped aside and gave room for Amalia to walk into the hallway that led to the rest of the rooms in the Lodge. “She’s on the third door to your right. She’s been hoping you would come and see her.”

“Really? Well then I better not keep her waiting. Thanks!” She lightly slapped the Turk commander on the arm and hastily made her way down the hallway, knocking on the third door to the right once she had reached in. “Come in,” a voice had called from the inside and she slipped in. 

Still in the main room, the four men watched the back of the ashy blonde as she made her way down the hallway. As she walked into the door and shut it, the men looked at each other, not knowing how to bring up the next question that was on everybody’s mind. But Tseng was the brave one to break the awkward silence that had befallen on the comrades. Looking at his Second-in-Command, Tseng said, “She looks good Reno. Has she been here long?”

Still leaning against the door, the red-head answered, his eyes wanting to discuss another conversation. “Nah, only about twenty minutes, yo. We spent some time outside but she wanted to say hi to you all. Oh and Elena too.”

“Did you tell her anything about the mission?” Rufus interjected and looked at the Turk.

But Reno shook his head. “No, nothing. I know she’s curious but all she’s asked is how we did. I told her we were successful and how Elena got hurt, but that’s about it. I know she’ll want more details later, if she’s really that curious.”

“Make sure you don’t tell her, she’s not ready to know what’s going on. We need to find out more -” 

“Rufus,” Reno interrupted his boss, looking at him dead square in the eye. “How long do you keep expecting me to lie to her? She’s going to find out sooner or later, and I’d rather it be sooner so nothing extreme falls upon her.”

“I am well aware of that, Reno, but until we have more information as to why we were sent those videos about her, I don’t want her to know.” Rufus returned the look. “Listen, say you did decide to come clean and tell her all about the last few missions you’ve been on; since the missions and these videos have been about her, wouldn’t you want to be able to tell her everything that you could? To ensure that she’s safe no matter what and that we’ve been trying to keep her safe?”

“Well…of course. But we would keep her safe no matter what! I think I can definitely say that everyone here would give their freaking life to save her.” Reno glanced at Rude who nodded at his partner and then to Tseng who only pursed his lips, his silent way of agreeing without causing a fuss. 

“Reno, I’m in the same boat as you. I want to tell her what’s been going on – that secretly we have been protecting her from an unseen enemy. But until we find out more – she is not to know. Do I make myself clear?”

Reno’s hand turned into a firm fist and he had to restrain himself from slamming it into the wall behind him. All the fury that was growing within his body need to find an exit before he decided to do something drastic, acting out on pure rage rather than thinking logically of the situation and whether it would help at all. Taking a slow, even breath he asked, “And what gives you the right to decided that? Why do you think you get to decide what Ashe needs to know?”

Rufus gave a cold stare to his Second-in-Command, shocked at how Reno had decided to stand up to his boss with such brave words. But at the same time, he has a point, the President mentally thought. Amalia and Reno are now in a relationship, the two of them should be making these decisions on their own. But…all I want to do is protect her. She has done nothing but showed me kindness when I deserve none. I want to use all the resources I have to find these madmen and bring them down.

The President sighed to himself and ran a hand through his unruly hair. “Reno, listen, I get what you’re thinking and I understand your concern. But I really think that this is the best choice we have.”

“The best choice? To keep my girlfriend in the DARK?!” He was beginning to raise his voice and, out of the corner of his eye, Reno could see Rude staring him down, mentally tell him to relax and calm down. “Rufus, I’ve been following you for a long time but this…this is ludicrous!”

“Reno…all I’m asking you is to trust. Truly, I get it, this honestly could be the worst decision we could make, but I want to keep her in the dark until we can get as much information on this group as we can. When we finally tell her what’s been going on, I want to be able to have all the answers to our questions so we can provide them for her. Or better yet, maybe we’ll even have the chance to defeat them before she finds out. Isn’t that what you would want?”

“I…” Reno immediately let go of the fist he had been holding, his fingers falling limp against the palm of his hand. Rufus was beginning to make sense, but, it still didn’t feel right. “All I want is to protect her…” he whispered. 

“And there’s nothing wrong with that. But, I’ll only ask this one more time: do I make myself clear with what I expect from you?”

The red-haired Turk remained silent for a minute before nodding his head. “Crystal, sir. But on one condition.”

“And what would that be?”

“That if this all explodes in our faces and she blames me for lying to her, that everyone in this room, including Elena, will come clean and give her the truth. I agree, I’m doing this to protect her, but at the same time, I want to tell her. As her protector, I have the right to tell her. If, down the road she finds out before we need to tell her, I don’t want to take the responsibility or guilt for this. Deal?” His boss stood there quietly, his eyes darting back and forth between objects on the floor. “Rufus, I love that woman with all my heart,” he gritted his teeth. “And I sure as hell won’t let this fucking lie ruin it. So is it a deal? Or not?”

The President watched his subordinate and only smiled. Reno had certainly come a long way over the past few years and, he had to say, that it was all because of her. Amalia had worked her magic underneath the skin of the infamous Turk and he hoped to god that whoever was sending those videos would eventually leave the poor girl alone. She and Reno deserve a future they’ve been fighting to have for years. I want to ensure they will have that future. 

“Deal.” Rufus turned to the other Turks who stood by his side. “Rude? Tseng?”

“Agreed.”

“I understand.”

“Then it’s settled. Tseng,” he turned towards the Turk leader. “Once Amalia and Reno leave, please inform Elena what we have discussed here.”

“Yes sir.”

“Good,” the boss-man replied. Reno left the doorframe and made his way to sit on the black leather couch that was planted against the wall. Throwing himself against the length of the leather, the Turk crossed his legs against the arm rest and held his hands on his forehead. Rufus watched his employee with slight concern. “You act as if you’ve had a long day. Amalia is here – aren’t you happy?”

Glancing at his boss, Reno nodded his head. “Of course I am. One, I’m giving her a few minutes alone with Elena and two, I’m still not happy with this whole lying bit so I’m trying to cool off for a bit. Ashe…she’ll strangle me if she finds out.” He focused his eyes on the ceiling, trying to forget all the times he had indeed lied to her in the past few months. 

At first it had been one video sent to warn the Shinra group about some people wanting to use an abandoned Mako reactor for their own use. Meaning, they wanted to use the reactor to extract Mako and use it for their gain – illegally. From there it had escalated to where the same unknown group was bouncing to abandoned reactors across Gaia, causing the Turks to hunt and find them to end their plans. Each time they were successful. But each time the group fled, the same leader from every encounter always mentioned Amalia’s name as if he knew her, leaving each member of the Turk’s confused as to how Amalia was connected to the people. 

This chasing had continued for about four months until Reno personally received an email with a video attachment; in the video, a man, who had coincidentally blurred his face, lectured to an unknown audience and told of his great plans to steal Amalia from their clutches unless the Turk’s handed over Amalia to him personally. Watching the video, Reno had been scarred, but what scarred him most was what came next. The unknown man then decided to grab a chair and bring it in front of the camera. Sitting, he had leaned forward and whispered into the lens:

“Fail to bring her and I will personally see that she is allowed an early visit into the Lifestream.”

Shaking his head, Reno threw away those ugly thoughts and tried his hardest to forget about what he had heard. That day he had declared to himself that no one, absofuckinglutely no one would dare to touch his Amalia – his girl, the woman he loved most above all and the only one in the entire world of Gaia who gave a damn about him and all the shit he carried on his back. 

“Reno.” He looked back at boss. “I swear to you, we will find these guys and ensure Amalia’s safety. I don’t want any harm to come to her, just as much as you do.”

The redhead Turk could only chuckle at the words that poured from his boss’s mouth. Starring up at the ceiling again, he eventually closed his eyes and imagined Amalia arms wrapped around him. He always wanted to protect her, but in that moment, Reno wanted her to protect him from the possibility that he couldn’t be there for her when she truly needed him. Sighing, Reno opened his eyes again. “I’ll hold you too that, sir.”

~ oOo ~

“Come in.” Amalia had heard Elena’s voice and opened the door, gently shutting it behind her. Walking into the room, she noticed that the female Turk was sitting upright in a hospital bed, her right arm covered in bandages and held within a sling for support. Walking quickly up to her, Amalia pulled a chair from the far wall and sat on the left side of Elena.

“Hey you, I see they’ve got you bandaged up. How’re you doing? You feel ok?”

The Turk only smiled, although she had frequent visits from Amalia when she accompanied Reno while he was with his fellow employees, she still felt uneasy around the girl’s politeness. After the last few years they had grown closer, Elena still expected for Amalia to hate the Turk for being a part of the disasters she had caused. But no, Amalia showed no hate and Elena wanted to crying knowing that the AVANLANCHE member had forgiven her. “Don’t worry, I’m fine.” She glanced down at her arm. “Well, my arms busted for a while, as is my leg.”

“Wait, your leg too?” Amalia’s eyes widened.

“Yeah, Reno didn’t tell you?” She shook her head. 

“He said that your arm was badly injured while on the mission.”

“Ah, that’s why. Oh Reno you’re such an ass,” Elena whispered as she giggled to herself. “No offence, but your boyfriend’s weird.”

“Watch it girly, I can say the same about yours too.” Amalia laughed as well, reminding herself that Tseng and Elena had finally expanded their relationship a few months ago. “Why didn’t Reno tell me?”

“He probably only told you my arm was hurt because you specifically asked about the mission. I hurt my leg when we got here, after our mission was complete.”

Amalia’s mouth drop. “Are you serious? What did you do?”

“Look at it yourself.” Amalia did just that. Pulling the white blanket off of Elena, she starred at the pink cast that held Elena’s ankle in place – a cast that extended from her foot all the way past her knee. “Let me guess,” she said as she placed the blanket where it had been and sat back down. “Your clumsiness got in the way again, didn’t it?”

An innocent blush covered the Turk’s cheek. “Yeah… My arm was hurt pretty badly but Tseng was able to bandage it up nicely in the chopper on the way back – meaning I could walk myself. Well, knowing myself, I tripped over my own feet simply trying to exit the damn contraption and ended up fracturing my leg in three places.”

Amalia winced, knowing exactly what it was like to break a few bones, something she was not a fan of. “Damn, I’m so sorry to hear that. How long you gonna be here?”

“Well my arm should be better in no time as long as I keep the bandages fresh. As for my leg, they want me to stay here for at least a week. After that, they’ll do some more x-rays and determine whether I have healed enough on my own. For some reason, the materia we have in stock her isn’t helping it so the doctors decided to let it try and heal naturally. My arm they think will be fine but if my leg doesn’t end up healing the way they want it to, I’ll most likely end up having surgery to fix it”

“Wait, why won’t any of the materia work? I have a Mastered Cure materia at home, should I bring that?”

The Turk shook her head. “Nah, they tried that too. They believe that whatever it was that attacked me had something within its system that transferred into my own body in which blocks out the effects of materia.”

“Sounds nasty, if you ask me.”

“Oh well, I think I’ll heal fine so I’m not too worried.”

“Oh Elena,” Amalia covered her friend’s hand with her own. “My heart goes out to you and I hope that you don’t need surgery. That is never a fun ordeal.”

“Oh you are such as sweetheart, Amalia. But I’ll be ok. Rufus decided to give all of us a few days off so Tseng’ll be here if I need anything.”

“I heard. I’m excited to finally have some time with Reno.” The ashy blonde couldn’t help but flash a smile at the whiter blonde who gave one in return. 

“You two deserve it. Here I am, always with my boyfriend wherever it is we go, whereas you have to wait until yours either has a few days off or when he comes home from a mission.”

“It’s not as bad as it sounds; I still help Cloud with the delivery business and occasionally help Tifa with the bar so I’m able to keep busy. It’s hard when my mind wonders off and thinks about him. But…actually, I’ve been meaning to ask you… Is it just me or has there been an abundance of missions you guys have been assigned to, lately? Other than today, I haven’t seen Reno or any of you guys in a little over a month. Why did this particular mission take so long? Is something going on I should be worried about?” 

The whiter blonde’s eyes widened for a fraction of a second but she immediately covered her emotions and spoke a half-truth, half-lie. “Yeah, we have been assigned more missions but all we’ve been doing is stopping people from trying to mess with any of the Mako reactors that are still out there. Nothing too much – we’re just trying to stop any future bad guys or anything that could potentially injure the planet.” She smiled brightly, hoping Amalia would believe every word she told her. Although Elena felt terrible about lying to Reno’s girlfriend, and her friend for that matter, she knew she couldn’t utter a single word about what’s been going on. 

“Hmm, well that makes sense, I guess.” Amalia crossed her arms across her chest and leaned back into her chair. “I do find it odd that all of a sudden people are now deciding to mess around with the old reactors.”

“Uh… y-yeah it is kinda weird but it’s our job.”

“You ok, Elena?” She eyed the other blonde quizzically.

“Who, me? Oh yeah, I’m fine, I just think the pain meds are wearing off.”

“Oh! You want me to get Tseng for you?”

“Nah you’re fine… Speaking of Tseng, he somehow reminded me of Reno.”

“How did me mentioning Tseng make you think of Reno?”

“Because it pertains about you, that’s why.” Elena pushed her good arm against the bed to aid in her effort to sit in a more upright position. “Obviously all of us here have known about you and Reno and that you’ve been together for a while. But…do your friends know?”

She blinked her eyes, not expecting to be asked a question she preferred to stay away from. It wasn’t the idea that she was ashamed of being with Reno; on the contrary, she absolutely loved the idea that she finally had a person in her life that cared about her and only her. On the other hand, she knew everyone else who have a shitfit if they knew that she was in a relationship with the infamous Turk – especially since they had been together for almost four years, joining together not that long after they had defeated Sephiroth.

Amalia knew that her relationship with Reno wouldn’t remain a secret forever, but she never had tried to keep it a secret in the first place. True, she had never come clean and announced Hey! I’ve been in a relationship with a man I truly love for a few years now; oh and by the way, he’s Reno, of the Turks. Just so you guys know! No one had ever asked her why she was gone for a few days at a time or who her “random friends” were. No one asked and no one seemed to care so she had left it at that. If they asked, then she would summon up the courage and come clean. But until then, she left it up in the air, available for anyone to see if they really decided to look; up until that moment in time, no one even dared to take a peek. 

Cloud somehow had discovered their relationship and Amalia knew that he had known for a long time, probably since she and Reno had become official. She made sure to always tell him where she would be and how long she would potentially be gone. It was a habit she had gained when they lost their mother in the destruction of Nibelheim all those years ago when their family had been just reduced to the two of them. He never questioned her intentions, he never asked who she was truly with and he never once demanded to know what has happening in her life. 

But it was the little things she noticed. Amalia was the only person Cloud ever sent a text message too, and he somewhat “rarely” did so; unless she said she was leaving then he would always send something simple:

Stay safe; make sure you’re well protected. 

Don’t have too much fun.

Come back in one piece.

But the most interesting message was the last time Reno had returned from a mission and she stayed with him for almost two full weeks until he was called on his latest mission he had just returned from. Cloud, as usual, had told her to stay safe and watch out for herself, but after she had been with Reno for almost a week, Amalia received an unexpected message from her twin brother stating:

Amalia, if your “friend” wants to keep seeing you, then your “friend” just better make sure that he has the skills to protect my baby sister. If this “friend” is serious about you, he won’t let you out of his sight.

And then, as Amalia had stared gaping at the screen of her phone, Cloud had sent a message immediately after saying:

And make sure to tell Reno I said hi.

From that moment on, Amalia knew her brother had an understanding of what was going on when she was outside of Seventh Heaven. But what made her the happiest she had been in a long time was that Cloud didn’t object. If he truly knew, his silence on the matter signaled that he was perfectly fine with the “secretive” relationship Amalia had with the Turk. Deep down she had wanted to bring it up with her brother and tell him everything, but she didn’t want to risk the tiniest chance that he seriously didn’t know the truth. 

Cloud respected and loved his sister to remain silent. 

Looking down at her hands, Amalia folded and unfolded her fingers, knowing she had to answer her friend. “No, they don’t.”

“You mean you’re still keeping this a secret from them?!”

“Not intentionally…it’s just that I’ve left it up to them if they truly want to know what’s going on. They haven’t asked so I haven’t told. Simple as that.”

“And Cloud?” Elena whispered the name of her brother.

She smiled. “I’m pretty sure he knows, but if he does, he hasn’t said a word. And from what I can tell, I think he has no objections. Knowing my brother, if he did, he would have said something by now.”

Elena shrugged. “Yeah I guess that’s true. But I have another question…what do you think will happen to you and Reno -”

“Knock, knock, I’m coming in anyways,” came a voice that was unexpected but the girls knew he would enter the hospital room within a matter of time anyways. Reno opened the door and looked at the girls in front of him. He walked up to Amalia and gently held a hand on her shoulder. “Elena, how you doing, yo?”

She giggled. “I’m doing better Reno, thank you. I should ask, what made you decide to suddenly grace us with your presence?”

Reno diverted his eyes to look at the top of Amalia’s head who, a few seconds later, lifted her eyes to meet his and a smile graced both of their faces. Looking back at Elena, the Turk replied, “I wanted to see if Amalia wanted to stay here longer of if she was ready to go.”

She gasped, unsure of how to answer. Over the last few years, Elena became one of Amalia’s closest and most trustworthy friends and she rarely had the chance to speak with her. But on the other hand, she rarely had the chance to simply be with Reno, someone she wanted to be with more than Elena. Amalia closed her eyes and silently thought to herself. I’m sorry Elena. I know you’re hurt and I wish there was more that I could do, but I want some time with him. I hope you can forgive me.

Opening her eyes once more, she was about to speak her mind when the whiter blonde beat her to it. “You should go, Amalia. Go enjoy the time you have with Reno.”

Amalia furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her friend who was gleaming at her; she knew Elena was telling the truth. “Are you sure? Don’t you want some company?”

“Are you kidding me?” Elena held her hand up and swept it across the room. “I have Rude, Rufus and Tseng to keep me company. Oh, and the doctors and nurses if I get that bored. Just promise me you’ll have some fun, ok?”

“Ok, I can promise you that.” Amalia stood and leaned to gently hug Elena who wrapped her good arm around her friend’s back. “Listen, if you need me to bring you anything, if you simply want to talk or if you want me to stop by, just give me a call. Alright?”

“Deal.”

“Good. Reno?” She turned and looked at the redhead who leaned against the doorframe. She had seen the man perform that same pose countless times, but the way he angled his hip against the wood and cocked his head to the side sent numerous butterflies into her stomach. And lower. She swallowed back a moan that was demanding release from her throat but she forbade it – at least not her with Elena in the room. Instead, she ran a hand through her hair, trying to keep calm. “Is there anything here you need to get first, before we leave?”

“Nope, I’m all set and ready whenever you are babe.” Reno’s eyes gleamed with love and lust for the ashy blonde standing before him. He could tell she was becoming nervous – a good nervous that he caused. He watched as she continued to play with her hair, the looking at her nails, then back to her hair. She was so easy to ready, yet so hard to understand. But after four years, he finally had a better grasp on how to somewhat understand the woman he loved. 

The answer was always hidden in her eyes. When something made her happy, her eyes gleamed and sparkled. When sad, both eyes darkened. Nervous, she always glanced at the ground and would only look up when someone spoke to her. 

Walking up to her, Reno placed her hand in his and squeezed, Amalia’s eyes lifting to me his. She gently tugged in the direction of the door, indicating that she, too, was also ready to go. Looking back one last time, Amalia waved to Elena and said she would be back soon to visit. Elena only laughed and waved her hand, specifying that the couple needed to leave in order to have their time together; which they did.


	4. Chapter 4

Walking back to the front room, Amalia was once again greeted by the other Turks and the President. She said her quick goodbyes while Reno just nodded and headed towards the door, which he held open for her until they were finally outside. Grabbing her hand as soon as the door was shut, the two walked down the stairs to Shiva in silence. A few times, Reno squeezed Amalia’s hand and she, instead of squeezing back, would push him aside with her hip, which would only hit below his hip since he was taller than she. 

Once down beside her bike, Amalia grabbed her goggles and placed them on her face. Once she looked up, Reno already took his place on Shiva as the driver, waiting for Amalia to crawl behind him and take her seat so they could head home – or, to his house, if anyone wanted to be technical. A mischievous grin appeared on her face as she thought of a way to make their escape a little more…interesting. And Reno had noticed as well as he arched an eyebrow in question to her sudden change in demeanor. 

“What’re you thinking, Ashe?” He leaned forward against the bike, inspecting her face. She had something mischievously planned inside her head and Reno wanted to know what exactly it was. Amalia was witty and had the ability to use her surroundings as an advantage. Knowing that she had immediately planned something as soon as they were out of the building meant that, not only did she have a trick up her sleeve, but she was in a playful mood. 

Turning her back to Reno, Amalia walked to the edge of the cliff they were on and peered over the side. It was a good ways until the mountain side reached a flat surface; a river, several waterfalls and a steep, raggedy drop. It was time for some serious fun. “How about a race?” Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed that Reno raised his eyebrows. He definitely wasn’t expecting Amalia to state something like that. 

“Ok, I’m intrigued. What kinda race are we talking about, yo?”

“Well,” walking back, she placed a hand on the engine, its cool, metal surface relaxing the tense muscles that were restricted underneath her skin. “To put it simply, we race to the bottom. You take my bike and I’ll run.”

“Babe…seriously?” He stood from the bike, leaving his sitting position, and lifted Amalia’s chin with his fingers. Looking deep into her eyes he saw sincerity and excitement. “What’s with the sudden idea of wanting to have a race between the two of us?”

“What?” She smirked. “Scared you’ll lose?”

He was baffled. Reno - scared? Hello no. Reno of the Turks never, ever backed down from a challenge and he wasn’t about to start. Leaning closer to the only woman in his life, their faces mere inches apart, Amalia could feel his breath against her face and she forced herself to not close her eyes or gasp, despite wanting to do both. She dreadfully wanted to close the gap between their lips, but she was afraid of what would happen if she did; she knew that she wouldn’t be able to stop the moment their lips touched. “You are so on babe,” Reno finally stated, pulling Amalia out of her own traitorous thoughts. 

She laughed. “And it begins.”

Reno sat back down in the seat and revved the engine to its full potential. Standing beside him, Amalia stretched her limbs, waiting to see how this would turn out. She hadn’t expected to think of a race, but she had always loved challenging Reno because she knew, deep down, he was slightly a sore loser; but a proud one at that. 

“So is this just a simple race or do you want to make it a bet as well babe?”

“A bet, huh?” She still stretched her legs. “I’m intrigued. What kinda bet you talking about?” she replied, mocking the words Reno had stated earlier. 

He snickered at her word play. Scratching his head he thought of how to use this bet to his advantage. And then it hit him. A cruel smile purged his lips; deep down he knew what he was thinking was evil and unkind to Amalia. But she wanted to race and he wanted to place a bet. “How about if I win we get to have some fun of our own, angel.”

“Fun?” She down casted her eyes, unsure of his meaning. Grabbing her arm, Reno pulled her closer to his side and leaned towards her ear, whispering the words he was hoping his original statement implied. He found it unbelievably cute when she couldn’t grasp the true meaning of someone’s statement. “I think it’s time we made love, babe.”

A yelp was the only sound that was heard from Amalia; covering her mouth, she intentionally avoided Reno’s piercing blue eyes. She could hear him laughing to himself, a deep hearty laugh she always loved to hear, but after what he had just said, she wasn’t if sure she wanted to hear it at all. So, that’s the game he wants to play? He thinks that if he wins we can finally consummate our relationship? Fine – two can play at this game. Amalia blinked he eyes and the thoughts running through her head. Wait, did I just use the word “consummate”? Isn’t that only used when a couple becomes married? Damn, I really need to stop thinking about that. 

Turning her head, she finally met his gaze and held it as firmly as she was able to. Her cheeks flushed with a burn that frightened and motivated her. Granted she was deadly terrified of Reno’s side of the bet but what she didn’t expect was how much she loved his way of finally having her succumb to him. Amalia knew she had been waiting too long and had kept Reno hoping for the one special night. But damn! She was not about to let that night happen simply because he had won a imprudent bet against her!

“If that is what you wish, then fine; I agree to your conditions.”

Reno’s eyes widened and he didn’t even attempt to hide the fact that her statement completely caught him off guard. One of his knees weakened under her confident stare and he fell forward, the weight of the bike pulling him down with it. His good leg, however, held its ground and he was able to secure his position without falling to kiss the ground with his face. “Y – you do? Are you sure?”

“Of course I am; there’s no way I can lose.”

“You sure are acting cocky, yo. You’re taking that spotlight off of me babe.”

“It’s about damn time,” she giggled. “But, of course if I win, you have to…” This would take her a while. What was it she wanted to win? She obviously didn’t want to make the same bet as Reno because there would be no point. Crossing her arms, she didn’t know where to even begin. Should she make him cook throughout her stay?

No.

Should she be really despicable and make him dress as a girl for one day?

Nah, but that would be fucking hilarious. And the gang at Shinra HQ would get a kick out of it as well. 

Should she make him buy her a chocobo chick?

Nope; as awesome as that idea is we’d have nowhere to put it…

So what was left? Amalia fingered the chocobo necklace that laced around her slender neck knowing that all the while, Reno had his eyes plastered on her, waiting for her to give him an answer. Even though she couldn’t think of a damn thing, she was still having fun playing around with him. The man deserved a break from all the hard work he always performed for his boss and the rest of the Turks. 

Play? That’s it!

“If I win, you have to take me on a vacation of my choice.”

Reno extinguished a sigh he unknowingly had been holding in his lungs. He wasn’t expecting a simple answer such as a vacation. He could definitely handle that. As long as she didn’t want me to buy her a chocobo chick… “Alright, that can be arranged, yo. Do you know where you’d like this ‘vacation’ if you should so happen to win?”

“Costa Del Sol and the Golden Saucer.”

“Oh, so you’re trying to win a double vacation for the price of one.”

“Hey, I believe that what I want to bet compared to what you want to bet is equal enough, if you think about the stakes that are within both potential winnings.” Damn, she has a valid point, Reno couldn’t help but think to himself.

“Alright, fair enough. So,” he cocked an eyebrow in her direction and revved the engine again, watching as Amalia slightly jumped out of her skin at the sudden mechanical noise. “You ready to lose?”

“No, I’m ready to win. Oh, more bluntly, to kick your sorry ass.”

“Nope, your ass is the one that’s sorry.” Leaning back a little, Reno skimmed his eyes over Amalia’s buttocks and let lose a low whistle. “But what a mighty fine ass you do have their babe.” She punched him in the arm with a smirk on her face. “Hey! That was not called for, yo!”

Her smirk grew wider. “Then punish me if you win.” Her last words came out as a breathy whisper, her voice a smooth melodic note with a hint of seduction looped between each word. Oh if only she truly knew the effect her voice had on him. Reno’s eyes nearly popped out of his own head and he tried to keep his cool but ultimately failed. The result was an intense beat of fire coursing through his body, starting with his heart and racing towards his groin where it decided to stay for good. Damn you Ashe, I will rightfully claim you as mine and mine alone!

Swallowing his mouthful of saliva, Reno revved the engine a third time, ready as all could be to beat his girl and claim the prize he had been waiting for a long time to finally have. But as soon as he thought about it that way, Reno immediately regretted asking that to be his prize if he won. To him, Amalia wasn’t just a piece of meat he could order around whenever he decided he wanted that particular specialty – she was something extraordinary, something rare that he had never seen before, let alone that he could have in his life. Reno felt is eyes graze over his partner, the only person in the world who knew every dark secret he held within his sinful body and the only person who pardoned everything he had done to her and her friends. As much as he wanted to win just because he could, he would not allow himself win. I cannot do that to Ashe; she’s protected her virginity this far into our relationship and I will not let her give that up to me because I stupidly bet on it. I want her to be able to decide when our special night should be. Reno mentally groaned and kicked himself. Damn, when did I become this soft?

“Let’s do this!” Nearly screaming to the sky, Amalia shook Reno out of his thinking session and he found himself whooping into the air. Amalia crouched to the ground as Reno grabbed the handlebars; she growled in her throat and he purred the engine; she whispered I love you and he replied the same. 

Simultaneously, the odd pair counted down together, vowing their promise from when they began their relationship that they would share everything. “3…2…1…GO!”

Amalia pounced from her stance and stretched her legs as far as they would go, the dirt beneath her feet almost disappearing as she ignited the muscles within her legs and took off. She knew that Reno had stayed put allowing her a five second head start and as she rounded the first corner, she heard the beautiful sound of the engine purr behind her. Before she could even blink an eye, Reno zoomed past her silhouette, smacking her ass as he drove off into the distance. “Hey!” She yelled as she could still feel his hand on her rear. 

“I told you I loved that ass, yo!” 

I have to win this! Amalia thought as she decided it was time to call forth the power she had received from that mad scientist Hojo all those years ago. Naturally, all she truly had to do was just act on instinct, but in a few circumstances, Amalia had noticed that if she took her time to relax and focus, she could feel the Mako energy and Jenova Cells within her body reacting to the will she had to use its unworldly power the way she deemed fit. And this was one of those moments. 

As she continued to pound her feet against the dusty earth, she breathed in deeply, as best as she could manage. A few seconds passed before she could feel a sudden fire burn with the central portion of her body and as quick as it came, the fire spread throughout the rest of her limbs. A raging intensity laced through her fingertips, hammered into her toes and melted into her brain. Blinking, Amalia knew that she had reached the full potential of her unwanted involvement in a drastic experimentation she never wanted to be a part of. The fire disappeared, but underneath its wake laid a power Amalia had only experienced twice in her life; once being as she tried to save the citizens of Midgar as meteor fell and the second being when she assisted Cloud in defeating Sephiroth a second time last year. 

With a smile creeping against her lips, Amalia bounced off of the dirt road and jumped as far as she could, her legs eventually landing on the side of the mountain several hundred feet away from her original position. Her glowing Mako-infused eyes scouted for Reno on her bike and she found him making his way down the mountain. Jumping another time, Amalia felt her feet leave the mountainside, arms flailing beside her as she descended down to the world below. Completely ignoring the road, Amalia wanted to have the closest feeling she could to flying. Landing on another rock landing below where the Healen Lodge was located, Amalia followed the path guided to her by the river and waterfalls; she jumped from rock to rock, her long brown locks catching in the wind and wisped past her face. She descended fast and quickly; the vertigo she should have felt had no effect on her while she was in her current state of physical and mental prowess. 

Reno held his hands firmly on the gas, not once letting go of the speed he had. He still was keeping the promise he made about letting Amalia win, but he was still having fun in winning while it could last – until a flash of black and white blurred passed his vision as he drove by one of the waterfalls. Following the blur as best he could, he recognized the shape to be that of Amalia and he instantly knew what she had done. “Hey!” He yelled, hoping she could hear him over the pounding of the rushing water and the roaring of the engine. “Who said you could use your SOLDIER abilities?!”

Stopping on a perched rock alongside the road, Amalia stood and shouted towards Reno as he made his way towards her, “You never said I couldn’t!” She bent over and laughed. As soon as Reno drove past her, Amalia flipped backwards, landing on a small patch of grass by the riverbed before she pushed her muscles as for as they could. She jumped and reached; pushed and strived; laughed and flew her way to victory. The wind pounded against her face she pushed her body to the fastest it had ever been pressed. She was close to the bottom of the mountain; her eyes could see the flat surface of terrain that came into view ahead of her. Grinning, she pounced one more time; squatting against the rock that held her, she pushed off with all the power she held within her and flew across the remaining surface. 

Guiding Shiva across the twist and curves of the mountain road, Reno gradually released the gas, estimating that he would lose speed just in time for Amalia to beat him. That is, until he saw her from the corner of his eye and his jaw dropped. 

Amalia had her arms spread out acting as the wings she always dreamed she had. With her hair flailing behind her, Reno couldn’t help but admire the picture he saw before himself. He knew that she was a goddess in human form and he never grew tired of observing her perfect silhouette. Both of them were descending the mountain but Reno knew he had lost. The farther she flew away from him the small her form became and without knowing what he had done, Reno had brought the bike to a complete stop, his eyes the only aspect of his body moving as he watched the woman he love fly away to victory. 

Knowing that the ground was growing closer, Amalia propped forward and performed several flips midair before safely finding her feet on a flat surface once again. Slamming into the ground the way she had, though she made sure to land on her feet and not her face, left her muscles feeling a little wobbly and weak and she was unsure whether it was from the landing or her sudden use of Mako energy stored inside of her. Not caring what the answer was, Amalia threw her hands into the air and danced in the area around her, happy that she had won and even happier that Reno would now have to take her on a trip to the places she had been wanting to escape to for a while. 

“Hell yeah!” She screamed to the heavens above her. “I won!” And with that, she fell flat on her back, a smile permanently glued to her face. She stayed like that for another minute before she felt the presence of another human beside her. Looking to her right, she saw Shiva pull into view and park where its engine died. 

Although he knew she wasn’t hurt, Reno briskly walked up to Amalia and knelt by her side, his hand immediately caressing her slightly damp cheek. “You cheat,” was all he said as he softly thumbed her skin. 

“I did no such thing!” She laughed. Reno held out his hand and she took him, accepting his offer to help her stand on her weak muscles. Brushing the dirt off her back, Amalia couldn’t help but smile. Yeah she won but that’s not what she was smiling about. 

“You seem proud.” Reno pointed out.

“What makes you say that?”

“You’re beaming. I can see it in your eyes; both are glistening.”

“Well, yeah!” She began bouncing up and down and Reno had to hold both her shoulders for her to calm down. She squealed with delight. “Reno, did you see? Did you?”

“Yes, I saw you won babe.”

“No! I flew! I – I can’t believe it… I think I activated my full potential….but I didn’t think it would make my fly -” She had wanted to finish her statement, but Reno cut off her last words and threw himself at her, his lips attacking her moving ones. He wanted to hear her talk – he loved hearing her talk and engross in conversation with her – but in that precise moment, Reno held nothing but love and warmth for the girl he was swapping saliva with. Her childlike demeanor was one of the main aspects of her personality Reno had originally been fond of when he first met her years ago when she and her friends were trying to save the world. He never wanted her to lose that charm, but he rarely was able to hear her when she fell into this character because Reno always found himself kissing her lush lips before she could even finish what she had been saying. 

Amalia clung to Reno, her fingers digging into his fire-red hair. A moan exploded deep within her throat and she tried to suppress it, but Reno had a way to bring out the lustful creature deep within her and she feared the day he would truly bring it out. But she didn’t care - for a minute, all she wanted was to cling to this man, this one man who always wanted her and never pushed her away. But Reno eventually pulled away too soon and she let loose a small whimper. He let loose the beautiful smile of his and left a gentle kiss against her forehead. “I believe a congratulations is in order. You deserve it.” And his lips once again found her swollen ones. 

~ oOo ~

“Sir,” Tseng let loose the blinds he had been openly holding. His eyes gazed one last time outside the window as he watched Amalia and Reno run off and play their deserved games against each other. He had chuckled as he looked on at the peculiar couple well knowing that the two were glad to finally be back together after having nearly a month to separate the lovers. “After everything that’s happened, wouldn’t it be better to keep Amalia here?” The head Turk glanced at Rufus who sat at his makeshift desk inside Healen, using his own eyes to glance at paperwork that needed to be filled out, but most importantly, he had been working through missions reports regarding Amalia for the past half hour.

“No, the smartest thing would be to have her stay on her normal routine of being outside with people and in her normal surroundings. We all know Amalia,” Rufus dropped the packet of papers from his hand and rubbed the bridge of his nose. He expected that he would be getting a severe headache soon and he was tired of everything that had been going on with this “group” that was, for some reason, deliberately seeking Amalia. “She’ll go crazy if we kept her here twenty-four/seven. Besides, what better way for her to stay safe than by being with Reno? And if anything goes wrong, he’s there and her brother is just a phone call away.”

“True, but Cloud, just as his sister, has no idea of what’s going on as well.”

“I know. I have no idea how to tell them.”

“How about just bringing Amalia here and explaining everything that’s been going on for the past few months?”

Rufus groaned in his seat and leaned back, stretching the ever-aching muscles that were constant in his back. “It’s not that simple, she would be super-pissed.”

“Well of course she would Sir; you’ve had Reno swear that he wouldn’t speak of this sticky situation and the same goes for all of us here. Also, you’ve basically kept secret that her life is in grave-danger. More importantly, we can’t even figure out why. How do you think that’d make her feel?”

The Shinra President let loose a long deserved sigh, final understanding everything that Tseng was leading him towards. “She would hate us once again.”

“Exactly Sir, and after all that we have done to prove to her that you and everything we now work for has been for the better would be at a loss.” Tseng exhaled his own sigh he had been holding within himself for a while. He didn’t like speaking so openly to Rufus but in a moment like this he felt it was necessary. “It would have been a waste.”

“So what do you propose I do…?”

“My suggestion would be to find the courage to finally reveal the truth to Amalia; she deserves it and we both know that, regardless of the fact that we’ve been protecting her.”

“Yes I know,” swiveling in his chair, Rufus starred at the closed blinds covering the windows. Usually he liked the natural scenery that stood behind the building but his mood was just too gloomy to appreciate any greenery that he could see. “I’m just afraid of what would happen once she discovers the truth.”


	5. Chapter 5

“This is seriously all you packed, yo?”

“Why should I pack more? I have more clothes in your closet than I do in mine at home!”

The couple left the bike on the side of the apartment complex where other residents also left their vehicles, if they had one. Hand-in-hand, they strolled their way through the doors and straight in the direction of the elevator. Amalia had become slightly fatigued from the sudden and prominent use of the Mako within her body back when they were at Healen and Reno felt that the idea of using the stairs wasn’t the best option, even if he only lived on the seventh floor. 

The ding of the doors buzzed their attention and they attentively stepped inside as the doors slid closed in front of them. Reno slung the light weighted bag over his shoulder and leaned against the back wall, his grip on Amalia’s hand never once faltering. “Well, angel,” he broke the silence. “What is it you want to do today? We’ve got the whole day ahead of us, yo.”

She smiled. “Honestly, I have no idea. I’m just…ecstatic that you’re right next to me.” She glimpsed her eyes up at her lover. A light blush caressed her silky cheeks and Reno could only grin, pulling his muscles in order to hide the blush that began to heat his own cheeks. Blushing was the one thing he did not want Amalia to be able to see. Ever.

“Ditto to that, angel.” Ding, the doors slid open and Amalia exited first with Reno following close behind. Silence gripped the two of them, both merely enjoying the presence of the other and not wanting to ruin their reunion. Walking down the hall, they stopped in front of a raven colored door at the end with the number “29” chiseled onto a golden plague next to the doorframe. Reaching into his pocket Reno fished for his keys, until he heavily sighed. “Oh, please say I didn’t leave them at Healen…”

“Are you possibly talking about…these?” Amalia jingled a set of keys on a ring she had made for Reno after they had finally confirmed their relationship. He was always losing them in his pockets and could never remember where they were, until Amalia created a way to keep them altogether at once. It was a simple black ring with a small chain, complete with a small silver chocobo attached. It was a little trinket she had made when Reno had been assigned a mission that left them separated for more than a week; it had been the first of many.

“How did you…” Reno reached out to grab his keys but Amalia pulled back, the jingling of the clanging metal was the only noise to be heard in the hallway. 

“No, no, I don’t think so. You see,” she pulled the set of keys closer to her body. “This is my set. See?” 

Holding it up for him to see, Reno examined the blue colored chocobo. “Ah, I see. Then where’s mine babe?”

Reaching into her back pocket, Amalia pulled out the original set of keys with a red chocobo dangling from its chain. “When in the hell did you take those from me?” He snatched them from her hand before giving her a peck on her lips. 

“I stole them from your pocket right before we left Healen.” A soft giggle escaped from her mouth and Reno stroked her hair before finally unlocking the door to the apartment. “You’re a clever one. I’ll never grow tired of that, yo.” He pushed open the door and held out his hand, indicating for Amalia to walk in first. As she did, Amalia glanced around the spacious room, never growing tired of the place she could call her second home. The apartment was huge, the only one on the top floor because it was the penthouse. 

Walking in, Amalia found herself in the familiar living room, completely decorated with a matching black eight-foot couch and loveseat along with one huge lazy chair; the living room itself being large enough to accommodate at least twenty people. To the left was the stairs that led to the second floor where the spare bedrooms and the master room were. To the far right, an open doorway led to the dining room, a place which was barely used. She and Reno rarely ever used the dining table, preferring to eat their meals either at the small breakfast table in the kitchen or in the living room if they decided to watch some television with their meal. Along the far back wall was the expansive kitchen, complete with tile covered floors and granite counters that were transported from Costa Del Sol; Reno spared no expense in ensuring his apartment was topnotch and well paid for.

If he could afford it, why the hell not? 

Leaving Reno by the door, Amalia made her way into the kitchen, her feet leading her straight towards the fridge. Opening the door, her nose was immediately hit with a mixture of noxious fumes – spoiled milk, rotting vegetables and molding leftovers from the last time Reno was even in his apartment. From where she stood, Amalia looked at the milk jug and could feel the bile crawling against her esophagus. The once white nutritious liquid had turned a sickening, pale, chunky green. Leaning away, she closed the door and scrunched her nose; attempting to relieve the smell her nostrils had just memorized (1). 

“Hey, what’s wrong babe?”

Looking up, Reno stood in the open doorway leading from the living room and was watching her. “Oh,” she smiled inwardly, knowing she was about to do something completely cruel. “I think I saw a spider in your fridge!” Creeping away from the appliance, Amalia forced her lip muscles to not smile. “Will you please kill it for me?” She batted her eyelashes, devilishly want to ensure Reno would take a peek. 

Shaking his head and laughing, Reno grabbed a few paper towels off the counter and held the door in his hands. “Only been here for a few minutes babe and already you’re asking me to kill spiders, yo.”

“You know you love me.”

“That I do, angel.” Opening the door, Reno leaned inside looking for the spider only to retract himself from the confined space and slam the door shut, the machine slightly shaking as he did so. “Holy shit! What the hell did I leave in there, yo?!” Amalia clutched her sides, the laughter she held within herself dared to escape but she desperately tried to prevent it from leaking out of her lips. As the red-haired turned to her, his fingers holding his nose shut, she lost control. Doubling over, her laughter echoed throughout the apartment, tears eventually forming in the corners of her eyes as her lungs stung from lack of oxygen. Reno grew quiet as Amalia continued to laugh. As it died away, she looked up into his eyes as he stared blankly at her. Wiping away the tears that were able to fall from her tear ducts, Reno asked, “There was no spider in here was there?” 

Amalia meekly shook her head. 

Reno raised an eyebrow. “Oh, I get it, yo.” He dropped the crumbled paper towels onto the floor and leaped at Amalia who registered his actions and ran into the living room. Reno chased after Amalia around the apartment where she carefully dodged each of his advantages. Running out of the kitchen, she made a full circle around the living room, watching the corner of the rug she always managed to trip on. With Reno hot on her tail, Amalia knew he would eventually catch her, but she was having too much fun to let him immediately catch her for tricking him to smell the murderous fumes in the fridge. Bounding across the bottom floor of the apartment, Amalia made her way towards the stairs and took two at a time, wanting to hide in one of the spare rooms before Reno could find her. 

She was successful in avoiding his hands as she bounded around the corner at the top of the stairs. Losing his balance, Reno tripped on the top step and fell against hardwood flooring. “Son of a bitch!” she could hear him yelling from the hallway. Knowing he did in fact hurt his face from the fall, Amalia also knew that he was just trying to lure her to him by pretending he was seriously hurt. Dancing down the hall, she sneaked her slim body through the door to the master bedroom they shared and slipped into the darkness that was before her. Knowing the layout of the room by heart, she quickly tiptoed her way across the room to the bathroom door, thankful that it was open because the hinges tended to squeak when pulled on. Feeling her way through the bathroom, Amalia found the coolness of the shower curtain and slipped inside, undetected. 

From her hiding spot, she could hear Reno’s footsteps from the hallway. “Alright little missy,” he said. “I know you’re hiding up here. Where the hell did you go?”

She tried not to stifle a laugh; Reno was just too much fun to play with. She knew he would find her but she didn’t care.

The bedroom door silently creaked open; Reno’s breathing the only thing she could hear as she saw the flicker of the lights being turned on in the bedroom. “I know you’re in here, angel. You always hide in the bedroom. Did you know that?”

Shit, he’s right. I do always hide in the bathroom. How the hell didn’t I remember that? Amalia thought to herself as she tried to think of another hiding place she could use in the future. The bathroom light flickered on and Amalia held her breath. 

“You could be in here…but are you?” Reno was purposely talking to himself. He took a few steps into the bathroom and she could hear him mutter something but the noise was inaudible to her ears. “Hmm, I guess I was wrong then Amalia, you’re not in the bedroom or the bathroom. But if you’re not here, then where could you be? I wonder…” Walking out of the room, Reno turned off the lights and closed the door enough where there was barely a gap before it would close. Still holding her breath, Amalia listened, wanting to know where Reno was heading next. His chunky work boots echoed across the room and she heard him exit the door, shutting it behind him as he left; the echoes he produced disappearing down the hall and she wondered if he went to the next room or back downstairs. 

Staying as quiet as she could, she gently pulled the shower curtain aside and gingerly stepped onto the padded rug. Walking through the bathroom as quietly as she could muster, Amalia stepped towards the door in the bedroom that led into the hallway. Her fingers traced the handle; eventually her muscles tightened as she grasped it firmly in her hand and turned it, unlocked the mechanisms and pulled the door towards her. Thankfully, it didn’t squeak. Poking her head out, Amalia didn’t see her red-haired lover in her vision. Leaning back, she exhaled a sigh from deep within her chest and softly pushed the door until it almost clicked into the hinge. Amalia closed her eyes and as soon as her vision went blank, she faintly heard a click within the confined walls around her. Once open again, her eyes adjusted to the sudden light penetrating her vision. Her back tensed as she could feel steamy breath pouring down her neck. 

“I finally found you.”

Amalia barely had enough time to register what was happening; Reno’s arms wrapped around her body as he lifted her up and threw her over his shoulder. A yelp escaped from her lips as Reno carried her over to the bed they shared and he tossed her onto the non-so-neat bed, where the sheets were pushed all the way towards the end of the bed, exactly the way he had left it before his mission began. Amalia fell upon the soft sheets beneath her and her body bounced a little with the force Reno had given into throwing her. 

“You’re such a little sneak, you know that?” Noticing the bed began to drop she glanced up and saw Reno leaning over her body, his face dangerously close to hers. Amalia’s breathing suddenly quickened; her pulse beating against her throat.

“Yeah but you like that about me.”

“Of course I do. That’s never going to change babe.” Placing his hands on both sides of Amalia’s face, Reno leaned down and pecked her lips with his. One peck turned into two and two turned into a soft kiss and a soft kiss turned into Reno running his hand along her jawline. With a chill running throughout her entire body, Amalia felt weak against Reno; a weakness she always had with him, even when they were technically enemies all those years ago. 

He pulled back and stared into her eyes. The left was green and the right blue; both glowed with a majestic beauty he couldn’t describe from the Mako that was infused into her body during her experimentation under the supervision of Hojo. He loved them nonetheless; it only added to the loveliness Amalia held. 

As if on cue, Amalia leaned into his hand, wanting him to simply hold her. His skin against hers sent a calming sensation down to heart and she felt soothed and relaxed. “You knew I was in the bathroom the whole time, didn’t you?”

“Well of course I did. The shower curtains not very thick, I could see the outline of your figure the entire time.” 

“So then where did you hide? I heard you shut the door and walk off.”

Reno laughed. “I hid in the closet. That was the door you heard and I stomped on the ground as if I was walking away.”

Amalia stuck her tongue out at him. “You cheat!”

“So I did. Do I care? No. I was able to find you in the long run, yo.” Reno glanced up and down her body. One of Amalia’s arms was above her head while the other lay across her lower stomach; her cheeks were slightly flushed and her eyelids tilted just enough that made Reno swallow an inner growl. “I must say, my angel, you look…quite ravishing right now.”

“Oh do I now?”

“Yes, I just want to kiss those lips of yours…” Amalia took a chance and leaped towards his mouth, her lips crashing against his and they folded together. She wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him down to her. Their body’s clashed as Reno thrust his hands into her hair. Moaning at the tingling sensations Reno was rubbing into her scalp, Amalia molded her body into his. She always wanted more of her lover, but in that instant, her fear of going to the next level coursed through her veins. But all they were doing was kissing and she could handle that. 

Reno’s kisses were like magic; he knew exactly where to kiss her and how much pressure to apply. Her nipped and sucked, pecked and licked. Moving over her jawline, Reno feathered kisses against her gorgeous feature. Making his way towards her ear, Amalia tilted her head and he kissed directly behind her ear causing the girl beneath his arms to writhe in pleasure and gasp. Slowly, he moved downwards, pecking feather-like kisses on her flawless skin; all-the-while Amalia moaned, encouraging the red-hair to continue his torturous exploration. 

Knowing he didn’t need any permission to pursue any farther, Reno removed his hands from her hair and graced her skin with his fingers, gradually making their way to Amalia’s breast. He squeezed slightly and a moan was able to be released from his mouth this time. Her flesh molded against his hands and Reno could feel the bulge within his pants growing by the second. With one hand on her breast, his lips focusing on one spot on her neck and the other hand holding her hip, Reno was surprised Amalia had allowed him to reach this far. He squeezed her breast more as he kissed her neck more. He didn’t want to leave any marks on her skin but he did want her to remember what he had been doing. 

Amalia was in bliss and amazed at herself she hadn’t stopped Reno from continuing. This is getting out of hand. If I don’t stop I know Reno’ll want to…but I just can’t… I can’t do it. Although she was nervous about what was going to happen next, Amalia couldn’t ignore the feelings Reno was granting her to feel. Her muscles melted under his touch, her breathing increased to match his and she could feel a heated awareness between her legs. The more Reno massaged and kissed her, the more she was becoming aroused. The way she was feeling in that instant, Amalia didn’t want to stop. She wanted Reno to finally take her; she wanted him to give her an amazing pleasure; she simply wanted to become his. 

But she wasn’t ready.

Without her knowing, Reno had let go of her breast and made his way south; he kissed her neck, nipped her shoulder and pecked her collarbone all the way down until he was at her navel. Still unable to let go of the emotions and sensations swirling within her, Reno looked up at the beautiful woman. He would never live it down that this was the woman he loved and that he received her love in return. She was everything to him and damn it to Rufus if would ruin their relationship. Shaking his head, he banished those thoughts from his head and went ahead to make sure his girl would feel good. He kissed the top of her navel and could feel Amalia’s skin; he tilted his head to begin kissing lower when he felt a rumbling against his skin. Amalia groaned and grabbed her stomach.

It was growling because it was hungry. 

Reno couldn’t help but laugh – he never thought that a growling stomach would stop him from continuing to kiss his woman. Propping herself up on her elbows, Amalia gave Reno a small smile but he could tell she was relieved they weren’t able to continue, with the mood now lost. One of these days, he thought, I’m going to discover why she doesn’t want to go all the way and have sex with me. 

“I’m sorry, Reno.”

“Nah, don’t worry about it, yo.” Amalia sat in a sitting position and Reno perched himself on the edge of the bed. Turning his head towards Amalia, she could tell he held a question within his eyes. “Hey babe, have you even had anything to eat today?”

Leaning against the wall, Amalia thought back to this morning. After a few seconds she replied, “Not…really.”

“And what does that mean?”

“All I’ve had is a plate full of buttered toast.” Reno narrowed his eyes at her, not approving of the answer she provided him. “What’s with the look? At least I ate something.”

“Yeah but all you’ve had is toast? It’s…” he glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “After four in the afternoon you need to eat something. I’m guessing you didn’t have any lunch either.”

She shook her head. “No. After our call ended I headed straight home to shower and change then I went to Healen and now we’re here.”

“Still, you know I don’t like it when you don’t eat.” Reno stood from his position, stretching a leg that was about to fall asleep.

“It’s not like I do it purposely.”

He sighed. “True, I’ll take that.” He extended a hand towards Amalia, helping her up from the not-so-neatly-made-bed. She grabbed it and stood, his hands immediately wrapping around her waist. “Come on, let’s get an early dinner.”

Her cheek’s flushed. “With what food? We’ll need to go grocery shopping considering your fridge is a ticking time bomb of deadly fumes.”

“I know,” Reno said as he pulled her hand, leading her out of their bedroom. Walking down the stairs, red hair bouncing back and forth against his back, Reno never let go of Amalia’s hand. “That’s a project we can take care of tomorrow; grocery shopping, cleaning, all of it. I’d rather not mess with…nastiness right now. Too disgusting, yo. So instead,” Opening the front door and letting Amalia exit first while he locked the door, he led them to the elevator. “I’ll be treating you to any dinner that you’d like.”

“Anything I want?”

“Anything babe.”

She thought for a second. “How far can we travel?”

“Hmm, well considering I don’t have the copter on me…only as far as Shiva will take us. In a decent amount of time,” he added. 

“Ok…well, there’s a new restaurant that opened a few weeks ago. Or…”

“Or?” The ding of the elevator signaled their attention and they walked in, the doors shutting behind them. 

“We could always go to our usual over in Kalm.”

Kissing the top of her head, Reno said, “I’d love that.” They exited the room when the elevator reached ground floor and both walked hand-in-hand towards Shiva. Reno draped his leg over the bike first as Amalia crawled on behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Shiva suddenly arose to life and Reno pushed the throttle and gunned its speed, winding his way through the streets of Edge until he made his way to the outskirts of the city. Amalia tightened her grip and, acting quickly, Reno placed one of his hands over hers that lay on his stomach. A smile grew onto his face as he pushed Amalia’s bike further, driving the vehicle off into the distance, the vast expanse of the wilderness becoming their playground as they made their way towards Kalm.


	6. Chapter 6

“Sir, if you would please follow me this way, you’re table is ready.” An older gentleman with a crisp white apron tied around his waist led Reno and Amalia, who were both hand-in-hand with each other, towards the private balcony Reno had specifically requested. He didn’t mind eating in the restaurant with the other customers, but he did prefer eating alone so he could enjoy Amalia’s presence without the wondering eyes of the other customers. It was only in well-known, established places such as the Chocobo’s Nest, the very restaurant they were currently at, and crowded dwellings where they were noticed. Reno – the infamous second-in-command Turk and Amalia – one of the members of AVALANCHE who saved the world from the wrath of Sephiroth; both “famous” in their own right. Neither cared if people saw the two of them together but they didn’t want to risk anyone asking the couple any questions about their own private matters. It wasn’t any of their business. 

Thus the reason for the private balcony.

The waiter led the couple through the packed restaurant, eventually making their way through a double glass door where their table waited outside for their enjoyment. Opening the door, the waiter stood aside and allowed the couple to enter first. Reno pulled Amalia’s chair out and allowed her to be seated first. She gave him a smile and as she sat down, he pushed her chair in until she was in a comfortable position; Reno then took his seat next, plopping down into the seat, not caring if some would consider his sudden change in demeanor “rude”.

 

That’s the Reno I know, Amalia thought as she washed her lover slouching against the padded backing of the expensive chair. His attitude might have slightly changed in the last few years, but that “I-don’t-give-a-shit-about-what-people-think” outlook still remains. And I wouldn’t change that about him. 

Waiting until they were both seated, the waiter stood in front of their table and presented the two with their menus. “Today we are serving a three-course dinner special which includes your choice of an Appetizer, then the Lobster and Steak combination which includes mash potatoes and rice with a biscuit and, to end the night, a fresh slice of Chocolate Lava Cake; all for fifty-nine gil.”

Reno glanced up at the waiter then at the female sitting across from him. “Hmm, now that doesn’t sound that bad.”

“No it does not,” she replied, her eyes drifting across the menu before her eyes, considering what she should order.

“Do you need a few minutes to look over the menus and decide what you would like?” Amalia nodded in response and Reno agreed, asking to have some time to think. “No problem. Would you like me to get both of you something to drink?”

“Yes please, I’ll just have a glass of water.”

“With lemon?”

“Please.”

The waiter scribbled on his small black notepad and turned towards Reno. “And you, sir?”

Reno had grabbed the alcoholic list that stood next to the salt and pepper shakers, his eyes scanning over the variety of drinks that he could choose from. “Yeah, I’ll have the Behemoth and two shots of your classic Diamond Weapon shots.”

“Oh, a man with a taste for hard core beverages. Right away sir.” Snapping his notepad closed, he walked back into the restaurant, leaving the couple to have a few minutes of privacy. Reno left his menu on the table, closed, while Amalia still scanned its contents. 

“Can’t decide, babe?”

“No, it’s not that. I think I want the usual but was just considering other options.”

Reno snickered. “You know you say that every time we come here, right?”

She peered over the top of the menu at him and arched an eyebrow. “Do I really?”

“Every single time, yo.”

“But I can’t help it, the steak is just too damn good.”

“Nothing wrong with that babe.” Peering at the door, the waiter pushed through, a platter balanced perfectly on his hand as he gave Amalia her water and Reno his deadly Behemoth drink along with the shots of the Diamond Weapon. When the couple had their drinks, he asked, “Are we ready to order? Or is another minute needed?”

“Nah, I’m ready. Ashe?”

“Same here. May I have the strip steak, well-done please?”

“Oh course. What would you like as your sides?”

“Mash potatoes and rice, but can I order a small side of the mixed vegetables?” Amalia glanced at Reno for approval and he only nodded, not really caring about her ordering another side. She knew he had the money to spare, but it didn’t mean that she could be so frivolous with his money. The idea didn’t settle right with Amalia, she never wanted to be that kind of girl. 

“Alright. And for you?” He indicated towards Reno.

“Yeah, I’ll just take the dinner special.” He grabbed both of the menus and held them out for the waiter to take. “Cooked medium-rare and the sides it already comes with is fine.”

The waiter scribbled everything onto his notepad. “And that does come with an Appetizer and the Chocolate Lava Cake. Have you decided what you’d like?”

“The garlic sticks would be great.” Reno answered.

“Ok, I’ll go place your order and bring out your Appetizer.” He took the menus and walked back inside. Once the door shut, Reno reached across the table and grabbed Amalia’s hand, rubbing his thumb across the back, her skin smooth and silky beneath his rough phalanges. 

But he suddenly pulled back and handed Amalia one of the shot glasses. Grabbing the glass by the top and pulling towards her mouth, she watched as Reno did the same. “Ready?”

“Hell yeah.”

“Good. Ok, 3…2…1!”

Both tilted their heads and the shot glasses back, allowing the clear liquor to slither down their throats. Amalia squinted her eyes as she failed miserably to ignore the burning sensation the alcohol left as it trailed down her esophagus. Reno mimicked but was able to pass the sensation more easily than Amalia could. Slamming the shot glass onto the table, Reno roared to life for a few seconds. “Holy shit! Damn, I forgot how strong that drink actually is.”

Amalia followed suit. “Damn straight! Burns just like the attacks of the real Diamond Weapon. Betcha that’s the effect they were going for, especially for those who fought the fucking creature.”

“Like you!” Reno smiled.

“Hell yeah! Especially me!” The two laughed in unison and Amalia could feel the small alcohol in her system. It was just one shot but she could never handle large amounts of alcohol, it bothered her body way too easily. 

“Already getting tipsy on me, babe?”

“I hope not, but you know I can’t handle mass amounts of alcohol.” Pushing the glass away from her, reminding herself to not have any more drinks for the rest of the night, Amalia smiled. “Remind me again why this is a tradition of ours?”

“You don’t remember?”

“Not particularly, that was a few years we agreed to this.”

“Oh Ashe, you never cease to surprise me.” Clearing his throat, he took a drink from his regular alcoholic beverage and smacked his lips, savoring the taste of something that wouldn’t burn all the way into his stomach. “Well, the first time we came here together, the shot was a new item on the menu and I tried to get you to have one with me. But you kept saying ‘I’ll have one only if you do’. So, we both ordered one and drank it at the same time – and we just get one every time we come here, yo.”

“It’s a stupid tradition, if you ask me.”

“I don’t hear you complaining, yo,” Reno noted.

“True, but I never said I would stop the tradition.” Amalia smiled brightly and Reno again reached across the table to take her hand into his. 

Amalia sighed – the feel of Reno’s skin was electrifying and soothing at the same time. The more he touched her the more she wanted to be devoured by the red-haired Turk. She covered his hand with her free one and closed her eyes. Immediately she was taken to a far-off dream she had been having for quite some time now. Whenever she felt heated, Amalia always imagined the hands of the red-head touching her, running his skin across her flushed body. The dream always left her breathy and in the need of something she had never experienced before.

In her dream, a shirtless Reno, with his pants gradually slipping off of his hips, stood over Amalia as he ever-so-slowly pulled down his pants until they fell to the floor. She lay completely naked, exposed to the man who could see every flaw, every curve and every reaction her body had when she was around her lover. Reno managed to rid the rest of his clothes and towered over the trembling girl who could only watch at the amazing view she held. 

Reno always leaned forward, always planted a kiss on Amalia’s lips and always traveled further south. His tongue left a winding trail of heat as he coated her body with licks and kisses, creeping his way from her face to her neck, to her chest, the navel and even lower. She always managed to moan and groan as Reno nipped his way across her abdomen and she could feel his fingers snaking their way through her womanly area. He gently tugged at her natural hairs, navigating through the terrain and slipping his fingers inside her river of arousal. She would always cry out in extreme pleasure, not understanding what he would do next but not caring because it had always felt so damn good. As his fingers gently made their way inside, Reno meandered his way towards her most sacred parts and followed the actions of his fingers. Amalia always expected his tongue to finally touch her down there. That was what she had always wanted and was never able to get it…

Because as soon as he was able to give her mind-blowing pleasure, her dreams always ended in a twisted agony of self-denial and how she couldn’t, or wouldn’t, allow herself to feel real pleasure with her lover. 

But at that moment, Amalia could feel a blush creep across her cheeks and she had to open her eyes before she allowed a moan to escape from her lips. Readjusting her seat, she immediately knew that she was aroused; she could feel a pulsating tingle between her legs and had to bite her lips shut before she ended up producing noises that would potentially give away her current situation; not something she had expected to do, especially in the public environment they currently resided in. 

But Reno was able to bring her mind out of the gutter. “Babe, you ok? You’ve been kinda quiet.”

“Huh? Oh, sorry ‘bout that, I guess I’ve just got…a lot on my mind right now”

“Hmm, wanna talk about it?” Amalia was about to answer when their waiter arrived once more to drop off their appetizer. He placed the full bowl in the middle of the table and provided each with their own small plate, just in case. 

“I just placed your order in so it’s cooking right now. I’ll come back in a bit to see if you need any more drinks. Or do you need anything right now?” he smiled politely in their direction.

“No I think we’re good for right now, thanks.” Reno answered and then the waiter nodded and walked back inside. Reaching across the table to grab Amalia’s small plate, he placed two garlic sticks on it from the bowl and placed it before her eyes, hoping she would nibble on at least something before their meal finally arrived. But Amalia didn’t even flinch – and she was the only other person on the planet who Reno knew to eat as much as he did. 

But he could tell something was truly plaguing her mind. She suddenly retracted within herself and slightly hung her head downward, eyes cast away from the food. Reno grabbed a few pieces for himself and took a bite, the butter-garlic sauce melting in his mouth. He took another bite before he could finish the first and glanced again at his girl, arms loose against her side as her hands lay within her lap. This made Reno nervous; whenever she fell into this “funk” Amalia always ended up losing her appetite. He had to do something – Reno didn’t want to watch her starve when he knew her stomach was growling from hunger; he could hear the intense rumble from across the table. 

Swallowing what was in his mouth, Reno said quietly, “Ashe? Babe, you need to eat something, alright?” But she didn’t say anything; she was eerily quiet and, for Reno, that wasn’t a good sign. Reno was about to use his secret weapon – using her full name – something he only did when he had to really grasp her attention. Pulling the second-in-command essence he had deep within himself, Reno commanded, “Amalia Strife, you need to eat something, now. And that’s an order.”

This grabbed her attention and he could visibly see the corners of her eyes lean upwards as she tried to suppress a smile but ultimately failed. 

Amalia looked up at the concerned man from across the table and she held his gaze, suddenly feeling ridiculous for the feelings she was experiencing within her heart. Her hand snaked towards her plate and she took a tiny bite of the top garlic stick, and as the sauce melted on her own tongue, she immediately took another bite, a bigger one, and then another and another until she had eaten the two on her plate within a minutes time. Her actions received a laugh from Reno and a pure, genuine smile graced her face. 

“There’s the smile I know and love so much, babe.”

As she reached to grab more of the garlic sticks, Amalia said, “I apologize, Reno. I just…I don’t know. I’ve missed you so much and then you suddenly came back from your mission where you were gone for, quite a while…I guess I just had several emotions running through my body and couldn’t straighten them out.” That’s not a lie, is it? It certainly feels like the truth. I had a hard time grasping that he was gone or so long. But, Amalia argued deep within her subconscious. I know that’s not the full answer. 

While she was in a mental thinking process, Amalia didn’t even feel when Reno grabbed her hand and held it within his until he squeezed it gently. In return, she squeezed back, trying to let the poor man know that she was better now. At least, Amalia kept trying to tell herself that she was alright. 

“Don’t worry about a thing, babe. I know with me being gone for so long on all these different missions that I’ve placed some unnecessary stress on you. And I apologize for that. But, just remember,” Reno squeezed her had slightly harder until he had her focus solely into his eyes. “Everything I am doing, I’m doing to protect you. Can you remember that, babe?” Yes he added extra emphasis on a few of his words, but he wanted her to know the truth. Whether or not these missions were for her safety, he would protect her at all costs. 

Amalia could feel another blush creep upon her already flustered cheeks. Outside, she could feel the effects of Reno’s words, but inside, she was killing herself knowing that she wasn’t giving Reno the answer he truly deserved. 

Should I finally tell him tonight what’s really going on? Amalia couldn’t help but continue to think to herself. 

As he thrust more of the garlic sticks into his mouth, Reno continued to stare in Amalia’s lovely face – he knew she was torturing herself by thinking about something. But what exactly was it? What would be keeping her from enjoying a nice meal together? The Turk scratched his head, unsure of what to do with the current situation. But, as suddenly as he was questioning it, a lightbulb blinked inside the Turk’s head.

“Ashe?”

“Yes, Reno?”

“I…have a serious question to ask you.”

“Ah, ok. Shoot – what’s your question?”

“Tonight, are you quiet because…” Aw hell, why did I decide to bring this topic up at DINNER? Reno mentally kicked himself in the ass, because he sure felt like one for what he was about to ask. He sighed before continuing. “Amalia…”

Ah fuck, he’s calling by my first name, she thought.

“Are you really quiet tonight because of what happened back at the apartment?” Her eyes widened but quickly went back to normal, but Reno was able to register the difference in her actions, especially since she retracted her hand from his and placed it along the edge of the table.

“W-why would you ask me something like that, Reno?”

“I…it just occurred to me. We technically went farther tonight than we have in the past. It’s the only thing I could possibly think of. Ashe, I just want to make sure you’re ok. You’re silence and sullenness is starting to worry me.”

Holy fuck…fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck…well maybe he does know? He asked, so…he has to understand that obviously something is wrong with how I’m feeling about our…“intimate moments” together. Maybe this is a sign saying I should come clean? Again, Amalia was having an internal battle between her thoughts. So she did what caught both Reno, and herself, off guard. She placed a genuine smile on her face. 

Reno expected any other type of emotion for Amalia to express: anger, sadness, tears, embarrassment…anything. But what he received in return was Amalia smiling. A gesture he was definitely not expecting. “I-I’m sorry, Reno. But,” taking a deep breath as the small fell off of her lips, Amalia slowly stated the next few words, scared for how Reno was going to interpret them. “Y-you’re…somewhat r-right. I…” and before she even had a chance to sit out the words Reno needed to hear, Amalia began to cry. A tear escaped one of her eyes and leaked down the side of her cheek. As it slid off of her chin, another fell and then another and another until she wasn’t able to control the tears as they dropped on their own accord. 

But Reno instantaneously kneeled in front of her with a napkin in his hand, gently wiping away the tears of sadness that fell from her beautiful face. One by one, the tears dropped and Reno was there to catch them before they could fall off of her face entirely. Amalia didn’t move but the more that her man cleared her face the more she leaned into his hand, desperately wanting his warmth to take away the pain deep within her. A few minutes passed before the silent tears stopped dropping and Amalia was finally able to look at her lover’s face. But this time, she didn’t expect for him to smile.

“Well, hey there, beautiful,” was all he said as he wisped a few pieces of hair behind her ear. 

“You’re not mad at me…?” was all she whispered back.

He shook his head. “No, of course not, babe. I’m not going to lie, I’ve kinda had a gut feeling that something regarding this issue was bothering you for quite some time now, but I didn’t want to pressure you. But something was different this time and I’m sorry that I brought it up but…” Reno’s hand grazed her cheek, his fingers softly tracing the outer line of her jaw from one side to the other. 

But the more Reno touched her face, the more she wanted to cry and, almost as if on cue, one last tear fell from her eye and dropped onto Reno’s hand. “I am so…so sorry, Reno. I-I should’ve said something sooner…”

“No, don’t be sad. Whatever it is you’ve been feeling, you have every right to feel that way.” Caressing the skin around her eyes one last time to ensure that no tears were left, Reno stood, grabbing Amalia’s hand and pulling her up towards him; he stared down into the magnificent color of her eyes, knowing that he could drown in the mixed colors. Leaning down and placing a swift kiss on her forehead, he leaned towards her ear and whispered “We’ll talk about this later. But right now, let’s just enjoy our first dinner together that we’ve had in a while, ok?” Amalia nodded in response but as Reno took a step towards his seat, she grabbed his arm and held on as if her life depended on it. 

Knowing exactly what she was thinking, Reno pulled Amalia into his arms and positioned his head to sit on top of hers; she linked her arms around his waist and held on firmly. “Ashe, I know exactly what it is that’s running through your head.” He gently pulled her away and leaned down until he was eye-level with her. He studied her expression for a few seconds and immediately detected that she had fear within her heart – and he knew where that fear was coming from. “I swear to you, Amalia Strife, I am not going to leave you. Nothing could ever force me to leave your loving embrace. Do you believe me?”

“Yes,” Amalia instantaneously answered. She was shocked at how quick she found her voice but continued to speak so she wouldn’t lose it again. “I just…needed to hear you say it.” She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his lips and retracted just as quickly as she had acted. 

Reno kissed her forehead once more before saying, “Believe me when I say, Ashe, that I would be a fool if I ever were to leave such an amazing woman, such as yourself.” This caused a blush to form on Amalia’s cheeks and a sudden smile formed on her lips and she only added to its power and she allowed it to grow slightly wider. “Listen, we’ll talk more when we get home but, for now, let’s enjoy our dinner and have a good time. I promise, this isn’t the end of us, Ashe.”

“I believe you, Reno.”

“Good, that’s the answer I was hoping to hear from you, yo. Now, let’s get you seated. I believe our food is about to arrive anytime now.” Pulling her chair back, Reno assisted Amalia in seating herself again and then he sat back down in his own seat. Only a few seconds passed by before the waiter walked through the door with their food held high on another black platter. As quickly as he came, the waiter gave them their correct dishes and left them to continue eating on their own.

Although the couple could feel the slight uneasiness in the air, both ate their meals respectively and provided conversation with the other. Neither stopped talking to the other they moved from one topic to the other. Reno could see the color flowing back into Amalia’s cheeks and he wanting to guess that it was because the truth was starting to come out, though it honestly could have been the food as well.

So, it’s true, Reno thought has he engulfed several bites of the lobster he ordered. For the past several years I always wondered why we had never gone “all the way”…because something has been bothering Ashe about it for that long.

Engaging in conversation, Reno talked about the mission as much as he was able to without distributing private information that Rufus didn’t want Amalia to hear. He explained how they were able to defeat the people trying to make their way into the reactor, how Elena became hurt, and then he finally told her how Elena also broke her leg. Although she had heard the story earlier that day, Amalia thought it was hilarious to hear it from Reno. 

On the other hand, Amalia conversed in all the jobs she had been doing over the past month; watching the bar for the weekend when Cloud and Tifa left, taking care of the kids in the morning, working through transactions and orders for the delivery business. By the time she had explained everything that had been on her plate for the last few weeks, both had finished their meals and were now expecting to receive their dessert. 

As Reno pushed his now empty plate forward, he said, “Well, sounds like my Ashe has been quite busy since I’ve been gone.”

“Honestly, it worked to my advantage. I wanted to have some work to do all the time, it helped to keep you and the others off of my mind.”

“Was it that hard to be away from me, babe?” Reno arched an eyebrow, knowing full well that he was being cocky. 

But Amalia leaned forward, ready to play at his own game. “Couldn’t I just ask you the same thing, Reno?”

“Tch, yeah, you could. And to answer: yes, it was hell not being able to see you. Night and day, knowing that you were back in Edge waiting for me to come home while I was off fighting to protect the thing we created…it was a nightmare.” Reno ran his hands through his red hair. 

“It felt longer than one month.”

“Oh, I wasn’t the only one who was thinking that?” Amalia shook her head. “Thank god…yeah, I don’t know why but time was such a bitch…each day lagged on longer than the previous and I never thought that our mission would end.”

The click from the patio door captured both of the couples attention as they noticed the waiter walked in. “Well, it looks like both of you have finished your entrées. Are we ready for your dessert?”

“Actually, would it be possible to take our dessert home?” Amalia asked quietly, somewhat wanting to stay and eat the cake here, but also wanting to go home because she knew that tonight would change her relationship with Reno; and the sooner they were able to get home, the sooner the pain could possibly go away. I know he’s telling the truth that he won’t leave me, but what will he do when he finds out what’s been going on inside my mind…?

“Of course, I’ll go get that right now for you. Here’s the check, there’s no rush you can stay here as long as you need.” The waiter started to grab their plates and noticed that both were out of their drinks. “Do we need any refills here?”

Reno shook his head. “Nah, we’re good. Just the dessert and we should be good to go.”

“Great, I’ll be back in a few.”

As their waiter walked away from their table, Reno grabbed the check and quickly glanced at it. He never cared about the price for whatever it was he paid for; there wasn’t a point, he had enough money saved up to last him until he floated back into the Lifestream. Pulling out his wallet, Reno dropped over two-hundred gil into the folder the receipt was delivered in and left it on the edge of the table. Noting how much money he paid, Amalia raised an eyebrow; she was slightly bewildered. “Was the check really that much?”

“What? Oh no, it was less than a hundred, but I gave him a huge tip because he deserved it.”

“I know he was good, he’s been out waiter before, but why such a big tip this time?”

Reno smiled and looked deep into her eyes. “Because he waited patiently by the door when you were crying.”

Amalia’s mouth dropped into a “O” position, not quite knowing what to say. Now she felt embarrassed at how she was acting but Reno shook her head and mentally told her not to worry. Their waiter came back one last time and dropped off their boxed dessert within a plastic bag. He took the folder with him to grab their change when Reno explained that wasn’t necessary; he wished them a goodnight and a safe drive back as the couple began to stand. Holding the dessert in one hand and Amalia’s in the other, Reno led them back to the front of the restaurant and out the open doors to the packed street. Making their way over to Shiva, which was parked along the side of the building away from the main parking area, Reno placed the bag inside the seat compartment and then hopped onto the bike. Amalia followed and straddled the bike behind him, her arms once again intertwining with his waist. She strengthened her grip and wasn’t about to let go. As he turned the bike on and throttled the gas, Reno turned his head and said, “Hold on babe, I’m gonna get us home in record time.” She only nodded in response as she hid away her head behind Reno’s back.

A single tear escaped from her eye as she knew that, later tonight when they finally got home, she and Reno were going to have a difficult conversation that she had been trying to avoid the last four years. 

~ oOo ~

The ride back to the apartment was unnaturally quiet. Amalia kept her arms tightly around Reno’s waist as he sped forth from Kalm all the way back to Edge. As the vast expanse of the open plains plagued her eyes, Amalia allowed her eyelids to droop until she had finally lost consciousness. Through his muscular chest, she could hear the steady thumping of Reno’s heartbeat; though she tried her hardest to stay awake, the soft beat of his heart was enough to send her off into a deep, deep sleep. 

As the bike hummed into the distance, Reno could feel Amalia’s arms slacken from his waist. Gripping the handle tightly with one hand, he held her hands against his stomach so she wouldn’t fall off. Reno wasn’t worried, they were almost home anyways. A few minutes passed as he guided the bike nicely inside the cities outer wall; there were still people walking across the city even though it was later into the night. Their silhouettes blurred as Reno sped right on by, reaching the outside of his apartment complex within the blink of an eye. Seriously, best purchase Ashe has invested in, Reno noted, as he dulled the humming of the Shiva’s engine. 

Gently easing her limbs from around his midsection, Reno stood as quickly as he could while trying to keep Amalia from following towards the ground. But as his feet made contact with the ground, she stirred, her head tilting towards the sides as her eyes fluttered open. Holding her shoulders for support, he waited until she had her bearings straight before her arched her back and cracked her vertebrae. Twisting her arms above her head, Amalia turned towards Reno and smiled softly. “Mmm,” she mumbled, still trying to wake from her short-lived nap. “Are we home yet?”

“I just parked, angel. Are you awake enough to walk or would you like me to carry you?”

Before he could receive an answer, Amalia was already removing herself from her seat. Offering her his hand, Amalia accepted and stood slowly, trying to find the feeling within her legs. “Thanks…I didn’t mean to fall asleep on you.”

“I think it was the food, babe. You had a pretty big dinner and a nice drive home.”

“Hmm, probably…” As she stood, Amalia swayed slightly and Reno had to keep his hold on her shoulders. She’s still not quite awake, poor thing, he thought. 

Grabbing the cake from the seat compartment, Reno held Amalia’s hand within his and guided her towards the door. With eyes half closed, she was guided into the building by Reno who never let go of her hand. Vaguely aware of her surroundings, Amalia didn’t care; Reno was watching out for her and she knew that - even if she fell asleep standing in the elevator – he wouldn’t leave her behind. Being softly tugged by the feel of Reno’s hands and aimlessly guided by her own feet, they eventually made their way through the apartment door where her body molded into the soft touch of the couch. 

Reno stood by Amalia’s side and watched as her chest rose and fell, matching the even breathing she held as she fell back into a deep sleep. He couldn’t believe how exhausted she seemed compared to earlier. Kneeling, Reno traced the contour of her face, his fingers trailing from her chin, down to her shoulder when they eventually landed on her hip. The farther his touched reached, the deeper Amalia took a breath. He knew the effect his touch had on her. But why doesn’t she give in to her sensations? Reno wondered. 

Making his way towards the kitchen, Reno took the boxed dessert out of its bag and placed it in the fridge, knowing that he and Amalia would eat it later tomorrow. He scrunched his nose as the fumes made contact with his brain and he quickly retracted from the fridge. Damn, he thought. Need to take care of the tomorrow. Scratching his head, Reno was unsure of what to do next. Should he leave Amalia to sleep on the couch or should he take her to their room?

Deciding on the latter, he walked back into the living room to find Amalia completely stretched out against the couch, with an arm above her head and the other sprawled across her stomach. Stopping dead in his tracks at the edge of the couch, Reno couldn’t help but admire the girl that was before him. She was the epitome of perfection in his eyes with her hair sprawled across the pillows and the way her mouth slightly opened as she breathed in and out. Knowing she would be better off in the comforts of their bed, Reno lifted Amalia from the couch, her head slanted against his chest and Reno couldn’t help but stare into her beautiful sleeping form. 

Making his way upstairs and opening the door to the bedroom they shared, Reno placed Amalia where she usually slept on the bed, her body unconsciously shifted onto her side. Leaving her side, Reno began to undress; pulling off his infamous Turk outfit, he sprawled his jacket and pants onto the chair in the corner, his work shirt following in a moment’s time. Clad only in his boxers, Reno made his way towards the bathroom. Switching the light on, Reno stood in front of the sink and bathed his face in cold water until his skin dripped with the clear, sensual liquid. Grabbing the hand towel off to the side, Reno dried his face then threw the towel into the laundry basket. 

Walking back into the bedroom and towards the dresser, Reno searched in its drawers until he grabbed a clean shirt for him, which he placed over his head, and the usual set of pajamas Amalia wore whenever she was over; short cotton shorts and a simple tank top. 

“Reno…?” He turned towards the bed and noticed that Amalia was no longer asleep, her Mako-infused eyes softly searching for his. 

“I’m here angel,” Reno replied, walking towards her side. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he cradled her cheek in his hand. “Did you have a nice nap?”

“How long was I asleep?”

“Well, practically the entire way home.”

“We’re home?”

Amalia was rewarded with a chuckle from Reno. “Yes, babe. We’ve been home almost…twenty minutes now?” 

She only groaned in response and sat forward. “I can’t believe I fell asleep… How did I end up here?”

“You honestly don’t remember waking up outside, do you?” Amalia shook her head and Reno scratched his own, a particular spot right behind his left ear - a nervous habit he had gained before he had entered the Turks. “Don’t worry. You wanna change really quickly so you can go back to bed?” She nodded in response. “Alright, I’ll go get us some waters and you can change.” He handed her the clothes he had pulled earlier and walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. 

Making his way back downstairs, Reno grabbed two bottled waters from the fridge, idly waiting while Amalia took her time to change. Taking a drink of his water, Reno gulped down nearly half the bottle, thinking back towards how the day had progressed. It had been an extensive day, but one he would gladly repeat again if he had the chance. Yeah, their dinner had produced some unwanted tension neither person wanted, but the way Reno looked back on what they discussed, it was needed for their relationship. 

I know Ashe is always open with me but I want her to be able to talk about our potential sex life. Forget the fact about whether we have sex or not, I just want her to know that I won’t ever leave her. Waking back towards the door, Reno only took a few steps before he stopped in mid-step. Wow, would you look at that. A few years ago, I would never have cared about another girl with the way I do about Ashe. I would’ve straight up fucked anyone if I could but with her, I honestly don’t mind if we ever make it to that level. He smiled at this sudden revelation.

Does that mean I changed for the better?

The sound of the door opening above his head signaled that Amalia was done. Taking the steps two at a time, Reno hurriedly made his way back towards her, suddenly needing to wrap his arms around her and calm the fears he now knew she had. Although he wasn’t sure exactly what those fears were, Reno knew she had them and all he wanted to do was quench them until she had none left. Stepping through the door, he found Amalia sitting in the middle of the bed, threading her fingers through her ashy hair. Hearing his footsteps, Amalia glanced upwards and provided Reno with a minor smile.

Sitting down next to her, Reno handed her the unopened bottle of water, which she took and softly replied “thanks.” They both sat in silence; Reno drinking the rest of his water while Amalia continued to knead her hair, pulling at invisible knots she believed to be there. After a few minutes, Amalia turned towards Reno. “We…need to talk don’t we?”

A sigh escaped from Reno’s lips as he processed her words. He held his face within his hands; not sure where to begin, and not sure where the conversation would end. “I-I guess the question remains is…what is it you want to tell me?”

Amalia swallowed a sudden lump in her throat. “I…I don’t know where to start, Reno.”

Taking her shaking hand into his, Reno rubbed the skin with his thumb. Inside, he desperately wanted to know what was plaguing the mind of his beautiful girl. But he didn’t want to rush her. “Just…start by telling me what you are feeling. Is that ok babe?”

She docilely nodded. “W-well,” Amalia stammered, trying to find the words she had wanted to express. All the emotions she had wanted to tell Reno from Day One suddenly burst through her body; every sensation of fear and sadness coursed through her veins. Needing strength to finish what she hadn’t even started to say, Amalia squeezed Reno’s hand. “Since we’ve been together…we’ve never really been intimate w-with e-each other…And, before I push any further, I m-must apologize.” She tilted her head downward only for Reno to grasp her chin with his fingers and pulled her eyes up to meet his.

“Don’t ever apologize for whatever it is you are feeling; I believe I’ve already told you this.”

“I c-can’t help but feel the way I feel…”

“Shh, I know, it’s ok. Ashe, whatever it is you have to tell me, I won’t be mad. You know that, right?” She shook her head, signifying no. Reno tilted her head to face him. “You have to trust me; I won’t.”

Taking a deep breath and forcing it out, Amalia again started playing with her hair; it was her nervous habit just as when Reno scratched his head. “I’m…” she began. “We – I haven’t instigated sex b-because…I’m scared…”

I knew it. “But why?”

“Reno,” she spoke low and softly; Reno had to tilt forwards in order to hear her words. “I know of your reputation as a w-womanizer back before everything that happened with Sephiroth…we’ve discussed this before.”

“Yes?”

“I…well, what if I-I can’t…” Amalia cut off her sentence and immediately began to speak again, focusing on another topic. “I’m scared you’ll leave me once you’ve had your w-way with me…”

Reno blinked and, for one of the rare moments in his life, he went speechless. Oh dear god. I would have never, EVER thought that’s what’s been bothering her all this time. “Ashe, you’ve been feeling this way for four years?” She nodded in agreement. “Why didn’t you ever say something? Why did you have to keep it a secret from me?” It was now Reno’s turn to speak softly; he didn’t want to come off as an ass just because she finally told him. Hell, he didn’t even know what he was supposed to feel at that particular moment. 

“I don’t know, I guess…I was so afraid that you would end up using me in the end that I kept telling myself that’d you’d only continue to stay by my side if we never had sex.”

“And you really believed that?” He slipped and accidently raised his voice; he could visually see Amalia recoil at his words. Shit! Way to fucking go Reno…

“No, not at first. But gradually, I started to believe it the longer we were together. My thoughts kept reminding me that if it was so easy for you to fuck those others girls than…what’s stopping you from fucking me and then ditching me?” As she was speaking, a few tears began to leak down her face and Reno let them fall, guessing that she most likely didn’t want him to touch her at that exact moment. 

“No, I would never do that to you, Ashe. You’re not some toy that I can play with when I have a sudden desire too; you’re much, much more to me than that.” Cupping her hand in his, Reno pulled his close to his, lips molding against the other. All he did was kiss her, it was all he ever wanted to do; but he could feel Ashe pulling away from him and he let go. Once apart, Amalia covered with her mouth and looked away, more tears staining her face.

“Ashe…”

“Reno…I-I'm sorry I can't…I can't do this!” Amalia jumped off the bed, leaving the safe enclosure of Reno's arms. Bounding towards the bathroom, she slammed the door shut and, from the bed, Reno could hear the faint click as she locked the door; ensuring that the two remained apart from one another. 

Sitting dumbfounded on the bed, Reno locked his gaze on the door that separated him from Amalia. He was still trying to wrap his head around the sudden information she had provided, unsure of how to process what she said. So, he thought. She’s afraid because I’ve had sex before whereas she hasn’t? Standing, Reno gradually made his way towards the door and the closer each foot gave him, the more he could hear Amalia from within the confined walls of the bathroom. Leaning his ear against the wood, Reno listened intently and it only took him a few seconds to realize that Amalia was now crying; washing away her fears and her doubts. 

Not being able to express the feelings that were rushing through his veins, Reno leaned against the door; his heart being torn in two as he could hear the ragged sobs of his girl. Drawing in a raggedy breath of his own, he gently tapped on the door. “Ashe…hey, babe, please…open the door.” He didn't get a reply; instead, Amalia began to sob harder, unable to control the vast amount of emotions she had stored within herself, her sobs echoed within the bathroom and within Reno's ears that cringed in a pain he felt he should not have. 

Forcing himself to leave their room, Reno pushed himself away and dragged his feet out the door and made his way down towards the kitchen. He wanted to help Amalia feel better but he wasn’t sure where to start…or what he could even do. Without even realizing he had made his way into the kitchen, Reno stood in front of the sink, his hands grabbing the edge of the counter so hard, the skin around his knuckles felt it would split. Hot chocolate…the drink he knew Amalia was slightly addicted to - Reno knew that even if she didn’t drink it, she would appreciate the thought.

At least, that’s what he kept repeating to himself. 

Grabbing the kettle from the stove and filling it with water from the faucet, Reno ignited the burner and placed the chocobo-style kettle on top of it. Grabbing both the Nibelheim cocoa and her favorite mug from the cabinet, Reno waited against the counter as the water began to boil. Letting his face fall into his hands Reno groaned, unsure of where their relationship was heading after this.

After all this time, I never knew Ashe had been feeling this way. And technically, it's my fault…all because I was frisky with women before we even knew each other. But I was never happy with any of those women…I’d fuck those women as much as I could but with Ashe, it’s different. I want to make love to her…Reno looked above him towards the ceiling, the exact spot where the master bathroom was outlined. Angel…you are the only person who has ever made me feel whole, complete…and loved. Those other women were just a distraction from the constant pain I felt everyday knowing all the stuff I had to endure by being a Turk. But you accepted me wholeheartedly…please, don't give up on me now.

Reno exhaled. “Damn, never thought this would come back to bite me in the ass.”

The kettle began spewing as it boiled and Reno pulled it off the stove, pouring the steamy water into Amalia's mug. Breaking open the package, he dumped the cocoa and stirred the chocolaty-goodness, the once clear liquid turning dark brown. Sitting the kettle back down, Reno pulled the bag of mini marshmallows and placed seven inside the mug, the random number Amalia always placed in her hot cocoa. Grabbing it firmly in his hand, Reno began his way upstairs, wanting to know that, even if she was still unhappy with the situation, that she could find it in her heart to forgive him.

~ oOo ~

Amalia sat on the edge of bathtub, fresh, cold tears streaming down her cheeks. She didn't even bother trying to hide her face anymore, she knew Reno had left, she could hear his footsteps walk away and leave the room. She began a process of clenching and unclenching her hands, not sure of where she should place them. Already she had hidden away her face in them, but what next? Should she hide some more or should she face the hole she had just dug? 

Oh Gaia I can’t believe he now knows…Looking back, I feel foolish for thinking that. Why would I ever tell myself that Reno would do that? I know for a fact that he’s not like that…but is that the whole truth? Is that everything I’m feeling about the situation? Amalia looked across the bathroom into the wall mirror, her red, swollen eyes piercing back at her. The skin across her cheeks was turning a pinkish hue from her embarrassment. She didn’t know what to think of the situation, but the last question she had asked herself echoed loudly within her ears. 

No, was all she told herself. 

Amalia knew she was keeping more information from Reno. She was self-conscious about the circumstance and truly did not want Reno to know what else she had yet to tell him. And yet, she did – Amalia knew that by telling Reno she would have the courage to go through with what she desperately wanted to do. That’s what confused her most, knowing that she wanted to have sex with Reno but was scared because of his reputation and her fear of being left behind. 

Looking back into the mirror, Amalia suddenly felt disgusted with herself. She had been with an amazing man for a long time and knew him from the inside-out; she knew his favorite color, his morning routine, how he liked to have his clothes folded and even the darkest secrets he had kept within himself about being a Turk. Hell, she even knew his family history and origins – something not even the people of Shinra knew about. Thinking about that alone, it occurred to Amalia that Reno must’ve had faith and trust within her to tell her his secrets without a second thought. If he can do that, then why can’t I?

Because you’re afraid of being alone and that he’ll drop you off without a moment’s notice, a voice reverberated in Amalia’s head. 

At this realization, Amalia nodded her head to no one in the bathroom but herself. I’m a fucking idiot for letting this get to me…but sex is such a big deal and I’m…

“Inexperienced…” she whispered to out loud, the confines of the bathroom wall silencing her word from leaking out into the world. 

“Knock, knock.” Snapping her head in the direction of the door, Amalia’s heart froze. Reno. “Ashe, angel please…can I come in? I’ve brought you something.” Feeling her heart skip several beats, she stood more quickly than she imagined she would. But as she grasped the handle, she froze once again; taking a deep breath, knowing that she needed to face her lover and apologize for her idiocy on the matter, she unlocked the door and pulled it towards her. 

Seeing her face come into his field of vision, Reno gave her a soft smile, and placed the steamy cup of hot chocolate into her field of vision. He could see the redness of her eyes, but made no move to acknowledge it. “I made you your favorite.”

Slowly reaching out to take the mug, she held it within her hands and asked, “With seven mini marshmallows?”

“Of course, angel.”

Walking back into the bathroom, Amalia once again sat on the edge of the tub, gently bringing the hot mug towards her lips and blowing against the steamy liquid to cool it off. As she took her first sip, Reno followed suit and sat down on the toilet seat. Resting his elbows on his knees, he watched as she greedily drank the cocoa; he could see a faint smile on her lips. They sat together in silence; Amalia steadily drinking what was left of her cocoa and Reno watching her with a close eye. Neither one spoke until Amalia placed the mug in her hands for good and turned her head to look in Reno’s eyes.

He was the first to speak. “Did you finish it already?” She nodded. “Want me to go make more?”

“No, I’ll be ok.” She twirled the mug in her hands. “It was delicious by the way, thank you.”

“You’re most welcome, babe.”

“Listen, Reno…” He raised an eyebrow as Amalia’s grip tightened on the mug; he knew she had something to say. “I’m sorry…for everything. I was a fool in thinking what I did.”

Reno didn’t respond. And after a few quiet minutes, he still didn’t say anything – he couldn’t even think of what he should say. Instead, he took hold of her mug and, after standing to his feet, sat in on the counter, not worrying about that it should be out placed into the kitchen sink downstairs; he’d worry about that later.

“Reno?” He turned; Amalia’s voice full of question and confusion. Without asking, in his Reno-way, he bent down and lifted her bridal-style. 

“Eeep! Reno! What’re you doing?!”

“Taking you to bed, what else?” She smacked him on the back of his head and he laughed, realization of what his words caught up to him. “Not in that sense!” Leaving the bathroom and making sure he turned the switch off, Reno walked towards their bed and gently laid Amalia on her side. Turning the overhead light off, he then made his way, through the darkness, to his side and lay down next to her. Reno untied the leather band that bound his air together and set it on the nightstand.

“You’re not going to do anything to me?”

Amalia’s voice caught him off guard and he looked into the darkness to find her glowing Mako eyes staring at him. Reaching down through the sheets he found her hand and held it firmly. “No Amalia, I won’t.”

“But why?”

“You sound disappointed that I’m not.”

“N-no…” Reno could see a faint blush smear her cheeks as his eyes began to adjust to the darkness that enveloped them. 

“Don’t worry, we won’t do anything until you for sure you’re ready.”

She sniffled. “Reno…”

“Hey,” turning on his side he pulled her towards his chest and began to run his fingers through her hair. Amalia didn’t object, only snuggling closer to the warmness he offered her. She shivered and Reno reached down, grabbed the covers and pulled them over their bodies. Immediately Amalia enfolded her arms around his waist and Reno tightened his hold on her. “Angel please don’t cry…you’ve shed enough tears, and it’s all because of me.”

“No! I’m the one who -” She was cut off by Reno’s lips. This time, she did not push away but pulled him towards her. They stayed that way for a few minutes; Reno’s hands tracing her back while Amalia ran hers through his fiery hair. 

When they finally pulled away, both slightly panting from the sudden onslaught of raw and needed passion, Reno said, “Don’t you even say it; I’m not gonna have this conversation with you where we go back and forth.”

“But I’m sorry.”

He sighed and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Babe, you apologize for your feelings way too much, yo. Listen,” he looked deep into her eyes. “I’m the one who’s sorry. To think you were feeling this way for that long…I never considered that my frivolous past would come back to haunt me this way. But Ashe…you’re my angel.”

“Reno,” she stroked his cheek. “Why? Why do I mean so much to you? Why do you call me ‘angel’?”

“Because, my angel, you’re perfectly imperfect. You’re the most gracious and unbelievably kind person who has ever been in my life. You’ve forgiven me for my sins, for being a Turk, hell, for even trying to annihilate AVANLANCHE back in the good ‘ol days.” He kissed her eyebrow. “You’ve given me a second chance.” Her cheek. “You’ve given me hope.” Her nose. “You’ve simply been there for me when others have walked out on me.” And finally, her lips. 

“I’m you’re angel because of all that?”

“Yes, my angel. But you wanna know something?” She nodded her head a little too enthusiastically. “All those women from years ago,” her smile disappeared but she still listened nonetheless. “Were nothing more than a distraction – a distraction from all the pain I felt everyday knowing what I had to do with my life in order to survive. All of them were a mistake; I never loved any of them, I never truly wanted any of them. But when it comes to you, I get this rush of heat in my chest that I’ve never felt before. You’ve given me a place in this world when I was always told there would never be one for me.” He kissed her again and Amalia went limp. She couldn’t believe her ears; Reno had never gone into so much explicit detail about what she meant to him. 

“Reno…” was all she could manage to say. 

“Ashe…please don’t let this trivial matter about us not having sex ruin our relationship. I don’t want to lose you over this,” he skimmed his hand over her cheek, unable to believe at how her skin always managed to be soft. 

“I won’t,” she replied immediately. “I won’t ever let you go; I belong to you and you belong to me.”

“Forever babe, I’ll never lose you,” Reno tightened his grip and Amalia did the same. Her breathing relaxed and within a matter of time, Amalia had fallen asleep, exhaustion causing her to collapse long before Reno did. He looked down at her sleeping face and kissed the top of her head. His last statement was true – he would never lose her, but he was scared shitless about her safety. Reno had no idea why the hell this one random guy wanted Amalia or what he wanted her for. But he’d never let him get her, Reno would protect her with his life, he promised himself that the day he had laid his eyes on her and the same promise only grew with each passing day. 

They’ll never lay a fucking finger on her, was the last thought Reno processed through his head before his eyes finally closed as well.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I wish Reno was mine but he's not, only Amalia is.

Darkness was all she could see, it was all she could feel, it surrounded her very existence until it made her feel completely numb and cold to the bone. Amalia glanced around to find any source of light, but none was granted. Holding her hand in front of her eyes, she could barely make out the outline of her fingers. On instinct, her feet began to move, but she couldn’t see where she was going. She ran and ran as far as her body allowed her. Sweat trickled down her brow all the way to her cleavage; her breath came in short gasps and her muscles began to cramp. Seconds, minutes, hours, even days could have passed and she would not have noticed. Time was allusive in this hell hole and Amalia was on the verge to scream. All she wanted was Reno…

“Reno!” she screamed into the everlasting darkness. But all she heard was the echo of her own voice. Stopping in the unknown spot of where she stood, Amalia turned. She didn’t know where to look or what to do.

“RENO!!” She screamed another time, her voice bouncing off the invisible walls that surrounded the darkness. Taking a deep breath, Amalia wiped her forehead, unsure whether what she cleaned was sweat or tears. 

“Ugh…”

“What was that?” Amalia turned. She swore she heard a sound other than her rigid breathing. There was nothing around her, other than an impenetrable darkness. 

“A-Ashe…help…me.” She had heard it that time!

“Reno? Reno! Where are you?!”

She began to run again, the mumbling and groaning growing louder and louder within her ears. Whoever it was kept repeating her name until it vibrated within her ears. “I’m coming Reno, I know that’s you! Where the hell are you?”

“Ashe!”

The sound of her voice made her stop dead in her tracks. It was definitely Reno – she   
new his voice anywhere. “Baby where ARE YOU?!”

I’m r-right…here…”

Amalia didn’t know why, but something made her look and; and part of her wish she hadn’t. She could see something form in the dark. The outline was all she could see, it was definitely taller than her and the more she concentrated on the shape, the more defined it became. A crisp white shirt, black trousers and jacket, along with flame red hair came into view. She sighed in relief and was about to speak when the figure collapsed to the ground and didn’t move. A gasp escaped her lips and she fell to the side of the figure, hands immediately forming around the face. The closer she looked and the more her eyes cleared through the darkness, the more fright she held within her body. 

“Oh my god…Reno! Reno, what happened to you?” Glancing down at his body, his once white shirt was practically ripped to shreds while blood oozed out of several deep cuts and scrapes, smearing his was flawless body. Looking further down, a tear leaked from the corner of her eye as she realized Reno had several stab wounds in his lower abdomen. Pulling off her shirt, she placed the cotton into his wounds to stop the bleeding. But something deep within her told her it was too late.

“Ashe…”

“No…” she replied, tears unwillingly streamed down her face. “This is not the end, I won’t let it be the end!”

“Ashe…” His hand pulled her face to look at his. Even in the darkness, Amalia could see how pale and defeated he looked. “You have to let me go…If you let me go, that means you could live.”

“Reno, what are you talking about?”

“I…need you to run away from this place, Ashe, Please, I’m saving you, but you need to trust me.”

“You’re saving me by dying?! What the HELL Reno! Why do you think that’ll help me in any form?!”

“Ashe…”

“No!” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I can’t…” she sobbed, the waterworks coursing down her cheeks. “I can’t live without you Reno…”

“Yes you can, yo. You are so unbelievably strong-willed and independent…you can do anything without me.”

“Don’t say it.”

“Ashe…let me go. I don’t…have much time.”

“No, no, no, no!” Blood was now soaking through her shirt and staining her fingers. Her stomach began to grow queasy and she worried she might vomit all over her injured boyfriend. She skimmed her blood drenched fingers across his pale cheek, unable to believe how cold his skin was.

“Ashe…please remember…that I will always love you…with all my heart…” His body grew limp, but Amalia was unable to accept the significance of what she was staring at. 

“No…please, Reno, don’t leave me. RENO!!”

~ oOo ~

“PLEASE DON’T LEAVE ME!”

“Amalia, Amalia! Wake up – damn it, wake up!” Her shoulders were shaking and a cold drench plastered against her brow but finally she had the strength to open her eyes. A blurred vision was all she could see, but as the seconds passed, the images gradually became clearer and she could at least make out defined shapes and forms. 

The first thing she noticed was that there was barely any light – the only source of light was from the lamp from Reno’s side. It cast an eerie glow across the room and a shiver was sent down her spine; it immediately reminded her of what she had seen. She could see the window off along the far wall, the darkness outside still emanating from the night – the sun was not yet due to rise. 

“Amalia, can you hear me?” That’s Reno’s voice…she thought. Blinking a few more times, the red-head came into view, his face etched with worry and concern. The moment their eyes locked was when she lost her self-control. Seeing his face rushed the memories of her dream right back to her eyes. She could see it clear as day; his blood drenched shirt, the stab wounds, her bloodied hands…his lasts words before he had died in her arms. It was enough to send a wave of nausea up through her esophagus and she had to breathe in deeply to keep her stomach in tack. She swallowed the bile that had built in the back of her throat and she noticed it was raw. Am I getting sick? She questioned herself.

She tried blinking again to clear her head, but as she looked again at Reno, who reached out his hand to stroke her cheek, a cry escaped her lips and she leaped forward, arms entangling around Reno’s neck, choking him as she stiffened her grasp relentlessly. Reno stumbled back slightly from her force but held her in his arms. Her cries grew louder, her crying harder, and her pain threatened to break her proud soul. 

He patted her back and rubbed the spot right underneath her neck to try and calm her down. Her shoulders slightly slumped downwards as her body began to relax, but the crying wouldn’t cease nor would her grip around his neck. Minutes passed and the two stayed in their positions, neither one backing down. In his chest, Reno’s heart broke in two, he couldn’t stand to see Amalia in such a state and he had to wonder what the hell she had been dreaming about. Must’ve been a shithole if she was forced to scream bloody murder the way she did, he told himself. 

Eventually, Amalia’s cries turned to sobs and her tears began to stop from soaking his nightshirt. Her body slumped from exhaustion as her hold loosened and she fell back towards the bed. Reno held her in his arms and carefully laid her back down, her whimpers still echoing throughout the otherwise silent room. When on her side, Reno reached to turn the light off but Amalia snatched his hand away before he could even touch it. “Please,” she said hoarsely, her voice barely a whisper. “Please don’t turn off the light.”

He was taken back at her words; Amalia was never one to be afraid of the dark. “Why not angel? Is everything ok?”

“I don’t want it to be dark – please, please don’t let the darkness come back!” She threw her face into her hands and the tears flowed once again. Not as heavily this time but Reno knew that something must have scared the living hell out of her, he had never seen her so frightened before. 

“Shhh,” he whispered, running his fingers through her hair to try and calm her down. “I’ll leave it on just for you, ok angel?”

“Please…the dark…it’ll hurt you, Reno…” Water flowed slowly from her eyes as sleep began to take its course once again throughout her body. 

“How will it hurt me?” Grabbing the covers, he pulled them over her slender body, wanting her to fall back into sleep and hoping that whatever is was she had been dreaming about would not disturb her slumber again. 

“It’ll take you away from me…”

~ oOo ~

Cold and warm – those were the two first sensations Reno experienced as he awakened from his deepened slumber. Or, as deep a sleep as he was able to get after Amalia had her nightmare episode during the night. After that, he had a hell of a hard time just trying to close his eyes, he wanted to keep them on Amalia as much as he could but his body required a certain amount of sleep so after what felt like hours, Reno was finally able to doze into a dreamless trance. 

Blinking his eyes opened, Reno rolled onto his side and tossed his arm over Amalia – or, the empty bed space where she usually slept, except, she was not there. Sitting up, Reno looked across the room but could not find her. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and opened his mouth to call for her when the bathroom door opened and Amalia walked into the bedroom, pinning her hair up into a messy bun as she did so. Watching her, he smirked as she noticed she was dressed to go for another run; her short spandex shorts and black sports bra to match. Hot damn, was all Reno could think in that moment. 

“Good morning, Reno,” Amalia’s smooth voice liquefied into his ears and he lifted his face to find her searching through her drawer of socks, looking for the colorful ones she usually wore on her runs. 

“Well good morning babe.” Finding what she was looking for, Amalia walked towards Reno’s side and pecked a kiss onto his lips. Reno could taste the mint on her breath an indicator she had just brushed her teeth. “So, I see you’re going for a run.”

“Yeah…” she replied, sitting on the edge of the bed to place both her socks and shoes on. “I just…after last night, I need to go let off some steam.”

“So you remember what happened?” She nodded and Reno stood from the bed and stretched his back muscles, a few pops echoed from his spine and he sighed in relief. He understood her reasoning, but with everything going on about the strange group that was for some reason tracking her down, he didn’t approve of her being out there on her own. Yet, he couldn’t stop her. He wanted to protect her but Reno didn’t want it to become obvious that something was going on. 

Especially since he swore to Rufus that he would keep his lips shut about the whole matter when speaking to Amalia. 

“Listen, you do what you gotta do, ok? But,” he kneeled in front of her as she put on her second shoe. “Do you wanna talk about what happened angel?”

“Y-yes…” she pulled a few strands of loose hair behind her ear. “But I’d like to go out first and think about what happened. I’m still in a state of shock.”

“I know angel,” he leaned forwards and placed a kiss on her forehead. “Where are you running to?”

“Probably to Zack’s sword again, I know it might be pretty far but it’s a good run and I won’t be around any civilians so I can run as fast as I want.”

Reno smirked. He especially didn’t want her going that far – he couldn’t control her when she did it yesterday – but he was never the one to control her, Amalia could do whatever she damn well pleased. But he sighed and stood, walking towards his nightstand he opened the bottom drawer. Pulling out a few items he walked back towards Amalia who had already stood and followed suit. “Here, it’ll make me feel better if you took this with you.”

Reno handed her a small metal rod, about six inches in length and a leather casing with an attached belt. Amalia smiled and immediately knew what it was. “My EMR! Did you get it fixed?”

“Of course I did, yo! Fixed all the wiring so the electricity works again and I added a special feature to it. Here, I’ll show you,” Amalia handed it to Reno and took a few steps back. With the EMR in hand, Reno flicked his wrist downwards and the metal rod went from its tiny form and expanded in the familiar three-foot weapon that resembled his (1). Swinging the weapon around, Reno pushed a tiny button on the side and it retracted back to its smaller form in less than a second. “See? That’s why I gave you case so you can hook it around your body and carry it with you wherever you go.” He handed it back and Amalia looked over the tiny device that would turn into a menacing weapon her lover taught her how to use over the last few years. What caught her most was the laser engraving print along the side. She had never seen it before and knew that Reno had it prepared when he fixed it: I wish upon the night sky that my love with you will be forever. (2)

“Oh Reno…” Amalia said slowly, her fingers running over the engraving as tears welled in her eyes but she blinked them away, not wanting to shed anymore waterworks after last night’s affairs. She looked up to find his eyes staring at her. Reno was mesmerized by her beauty, the way she was basked in the early morning sunlight that poured in from the windows. The way she looked up the engraving her had put onto her EMR made his heart skipped a beat; he knew she would be surprised with the gesture but he just didn’t know how much. “Reno…I absolutely love it.” She stood on her tiptoes, kissed his lips then wrapped her arms around his neck and tightly hugged him. His arms encircled hers as the two of them stayed in that position. 

Amalia eventually pulled back and examined the casing; with hard leather that would withstand attacks from monsters, or people, depending on the situation. Wrapping it around her waist, she buckled the strap until it was tight around her waist but loose enough to where it dangled off to one side. Once in comfortable position, she positioned the tiny EMR into the pouch against her back and was thrilled at what Reno had done to her newly acquired weapon. She twirled, testing to see whether it would move as she did but was impressed that it didn’t. 

“You approve babe?”

“Hell yeah I do, this thing is awesome! But,” she glanced at the clock on the nightstand. “I’m gonna get going. You know me, I like to get started early rather than later.” She headed towards the door then took a peek back at Reno who was still clad in his boxers and nightshirt. “Wanna join?”

Reno laughed. “Me? As in go running, with you?” She nodded. “You’re real funny babe. There’s no way in hell you could ever get me to go running for fun, yo.” They both walked through the door and made their way downstairs. 

“Alright, but if you’re ever in a pinch and need to run away, don’t blame me when you realize your fat ass can’t run as fast as me.”

Reno snaked his arm around her waist and pushed her up against the front door, her minty breath mixing with his morning one. “What did you just call me?” He said dangerously whispered.

“You heard me.”

He chuckled – he loved it when she threatened him back. Reno had never before met a woman who challenged him back and not just give in to what he wanted. “Oh, you’ll definitely pay for that one, Amalia.” 

“For what? Calling you a fat ass?”

“Oh that’s it.” He silenced her with his mouth, his hands reaching for her wrists and holding them against the wall above her head. Amalia struggled beneath his grasp. Their lips molded into one and Amalia had to bite her tongue to keep from gasping out of excitement. There it was again – she was completely aroused at what Reno was doing to her but she just couldn’t simply give in to the feelings she suddenly received. Reno could sense her inner confusion and let go, Amalia’s lips red and slightly swollen at his passionate kiss. 

She was confused and blinked several times. “W-why did you pull away?”

“What, did you want to continue, angel?” Reno leaned in closer until their noses were barely touching. 

“What? I-I well…”

He kissed her forehead. “Let it go babe. I won’t do anything until you want to, remember that.” Opening the door, he held it open and watched as an even more confused Amalia stepped outside of the apartment. “Look, just go for a run, stay safe and I’ll see you what…in an hour or so?”

“Yeah, something like that.”

“You ok babe?”

“Just thinking…I’ll see you when I get back.” She gave him a swift kiss in his cheek before leaving down the hall towards the elevator and leaving Reno’s sight.

Reno shut the door and looked around the apartment, wondering what he should do in his spare time. Should he shower, clean or do whatever the fuck he wanted? Knowing Ashe, she’ll be gone longer than an hour soooooo….if I’m not lazy, I could do all three, Reno thought as he rubbed the back of his neck. Walking back up the stairs, he opted to first take a shower so he knew for sure that he would at least be clean by the time Amalia came back. After that, he didn’t know what the fuck he would do.   
~ oOo ~

Out in the open air, Amalia once again felt the breeze graze her face as she pounded her way through Edge and then made her way out of the city. She wasn’t relaxed as she had been yesterday; there was more than enough on her mind to keep her from enjoying one of her favorite pastimes. But today, she just needed to get out of the apartment – not necessarily to get away from Reno, but the feelings she had experienced within the last twenty-four hours. 

Amalia thought she would still be bothered about what transpired between her and Reno about their sexless relationship but, especially with what happened right before she left, she knew Reno truly wouldn’t do anything until she was ready. And god was she hoping it wasn’t far off where she would just give in to her desires. Deep down, Amalia knew she was ready to join herself with Reno, but there was that one thought that was holding her back. And she was getting sick of it; although Reno would never admit it, she knew he wanted to make love to her. And the more she thought about that, the more selfish it made her feel. 

Speeding past the outskirts of the city, Amalia made her way towards Zack’s sword, this time, contemplating on the dream she had. Too grotesque, in my opinion, she thought. What the fuck was it supposed to mean though? Yeah, I’m fucking scared about losing Reno…scare more than anything else. But why would I dream…about something murdering him? Seriously, what the fucks up with that? 

Running the familiar path up the hill leading to her old friend’s sword, Amalia slowed her pace until she gradually came to a stop. Beads of sweat drench her face until she had to wipe her forehead with the back of her hand. Tears or sweat she couldn’t tell the difference, she wiped it all away. Walking towards the edge of the cliff, Amalia looked across the vast distance that stood between her and where Reno awaited. 

“Gaia, I just can’t lose that man. If anything were to befall unto him, I have no fucking clue what I would do.” Kicking a nearby stone off the cliff, she listened to the echoes it made as it tumbled downwards, bouncing off the cliff as it fell. And that’s when she heard it.

Crunch.

“What the hell was that?” she whispered. Turning around, Amalia scanned her surroundings, not sure what would make a sudden sound. Besides the wind, it was always deadly quiet when she was here. Peering over the edge, she tried to see if there had been something at the bottom the rock had hit and made the noise. But there was just nothing. Could it have been a monster?

Or a person?

“Whoever is out there you better show yourself!” There was nothing but silence, and then…

“Oh my, the fair lady does have a bite!” Whipping around, a small gasp escaped Amalia’s mouth as she noticed a man standing directly behind Zack’s sword. Black slacks, tight black shirt, short black hair with deep brown eyes. This man’s outer layer screamed a “nonchalant” attitude but Amalia could tell that there was something off about this person – this man held a darker side than what people could visually see. There was about a ten-foot gap between the two but the man decided it wasn’t good enough and took a few steps forward, followed by Amalia taking a few steps back, realizing that she was ridiculously close to the edge.

Didn’t matter, she could always jump down when needed, but at that moment, she was still slightly scared of the current situation. She blinked as the man still drew closer to her.

“Come now, Amalia. I heard you always had perfect manners. Why haven’t you said hello?”

She swallowed; her knew her name. How did he know her name? “Who the hell are you?”

“Now that wasn’t polite, my dear. My name? It doesn’t matter – but what is important is that I would like to spar with you. Care to join me?” He held out his hand and waited patiently for Amalia to grasp it. The man’s voice was low and smooth; there was an eerie calmness about this man that raged war within Amalia, telling her to get as far away from this man. But her legs wouldn’t move, there was a stupid part of her that wanted to know why this man wanted to fight her. She didn’t even know who the guy was!

“Why?” was all she ended up asking. 

He laughed. “‘Why’ she asks. You see, my darling Amalia, I just want to test your strength. I know all about your infamous abilities. Your ability to use mastered materia without any effort,” he took a step forward. “Your ability to use dual blades as your main weapon,” and another. “You rarely require the aid of any potions,” another. “And, most importantly, you’re the twin sister of Cloud. You have mako injections in your body; I’d love to test that out,” and finally, he took one more until he was a only few feet away. Her heart quickened as her eyes widened. “Ah, I see I’ve scared you. Now you must be wondering how I know all that information. Well my dear, when you’re a former member of AVALANCHE and one of the people who saved the planet, you become quite famous.”

“I’ll ask you again,” Amalia gritted her teeth together, this person suddenly pissing her off. “What the hell do you want with me?”

“I was told you were smarter than this. Amalia, I want to fight you.”

“Leave me the hell alone. I don’t know who you are or why the fuck you want to fight me but please leave.”

“Ah, language my dear. Not good for someone who’s destined to save the planet.”

“Now who’s the “not-so-smart” one? I saved the planet a few years ago with my friends. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Reaching behind her back, her fingers graced the leather casing of her EMR and she mentally thanked Gaia that Reno had told her to take it with her this morning. Sliding it from its case, she flicked her wrist just as Reno had showed her and expanded the weapon to its full length. 

The creepy man grinned and reached down to pull two daggers from sheaths connected to his hip, the tips of each blade were curved. His grin widened as they each held weapons within their hands. “Amalia, if you’re so bent on not fighting me, why is it you have a weapon in your hand?”

“I had a feeling you would attack me and I was told to be prepared today.”

“Don’t fret my lovely, I plan to attack you as long as I need in order to learn everything about your skills.”

Amalia’s grip tightened on her EMR. “Seriously, why do you want to fight me so badly? What good will come out of it?”

“Good? Knowing that my master will be pleased with the way you fight?”

She lowered her weapon slightly; confusion and shock riddled her face. “M-master?”

The creepy man took his chance. As Amalia lowered her guard, the man leaped towards her and slashed his daggers in front of her, meaning to shred the skin on the front of her body. But Amalia saw right through his attack and threw the EMR in front of her, cutting off his attacks. She thrust the weapon until the man flew backwards several hundred feet. Immediately bouncing off the ground as soon as he touched it, the man pounded towards Amalia who crouched, waiting to take down this unknown visitor, though he was definitely unwelcomed in her book. As he flew straight towards her face, she was ready to aim her attack when the man immediately vanished from her sight as he drew closer. She blinked but held her guard; looking around, she saw nothing. 

“You forgot to look behind you!” But as she turned, Amalia was met with a stinging kick into her side that sent her flying across the edge of the cliff to the other side. She skidded against the dirt ground, her skin burning as she tried to stand. But the man beat her to her side and kicked her again, sending her across the cliff to the original side she was on. 

“Agh!” Amalia yelled as she landed on her back. She could feel her ribs ache, a fracture was a good possibility based on the man’s strength and force of his kicks. Gripping the EMR tightly in her hand, she stood as quick as her nimble body would allow her. She closed her eyes when the man disappeared, using her strengthened hearing as an advantage to finding the fucker who was messing with her. Across the distance, she could hear soft crunches against the ground, followed by a voice that sent an unwelcomed chill down her spine. 

“You know, my dear, this saddens me. I was told that you were an amazing warrior who could defend herself against a hundred men. But this…this is disappointing. Who the hell am I fighting? Most definitely not the woman I was told about.”

Alright that fucking does it. Eyes still closed, she wanted to taunt him, lure him to her so he could see the side he was disappointed in not seeing. “If you want to see what damage I can cause, then get your fucking ass out here and I’ll show you what you’re missing.”

The crunching grew louder and Amalia could tell that it was coming from behind her. She took a deep breath and counted down from five. Once she was done, she whisked around and thrust her EMR in front of her body, barely able to block off the man’s dagger attack. Just as she had yesterday in her race with Reno, she could feel the extended power of the mako injections flowing through her body. And apparently, the man could see it as well. 

“Ah, so this is the power I was told of.”

Amalia thrust her weapon forward and once again sent the man backwards. She pushed her body as hard as it would go and raced towards where the man was leading, beating him before he could even land. Following what he had done to her, Amalia kicked him directly in the side, pushing him into the air. She followed suit and ignited the electrical function of her beloved weapon and jammed it into his backside as she raced after him. The man yelled off into the distance, the electricity doing its work as his arms began to fall limp. Pushing off of his body, Amalia flipped backs and landed on her feet as she watched the man fall from the sky. 

She crouched for a few minutes as he slowly worked to his feet. His eyes locked with hers as he stood to his full height; but Amalia wasn’t intimidated. She scowled in his direction; he picked a fight and she was ready to give it to him. 

“You bitch!” He spat. Leaping towards her, the man threw one of his daggers in Amalia’s direction and she easily deflected it with the EMR, but as she dropped the weapon, the second dagger flew in the same direction, right towards her face. She dropped backwards, bending her back to avoid the weapon, her hands landing on the ground as she curved her body in an upside down “U” shape. Pushing off with her hands, she flipped backwards, barely standing on her feet when the man thrust at her with the first dagger she had avoided. Weapon in hand, the man rushed towards Amalia whose guard had fallen, and thrust the blade into her shoulder, sending it all the way from the front of her body straight through the back. 

Screaming to the heavens at the unexpected attack, Amalia thrust her foot upwards, landing straight into the man’s groin. He equally howled in pain and fell to his knees, hands immediately covering his injured genitals. Stumbling backwards, Amalia reached to grab the blade still stuck in her shoulder. Delicately pulling it out, she hissed as her muscles released the metal invader. Blood spattered on the ground as she released the blade and ran down the length of her arm. Now that the blade was removed, Amalia looked down at the man’s weapon and noticed it glistened with another substance beside her blood. Bringing the blade to her nose, she sniffed. Oh fuck. The blade, it’s…

Poison. 

Jumping backwards and attempting to create more space between her and the man who was still suffering from groin damage, Amalia could immediately feel the effects of the poison with her system. Her stomach started to feel nauseated, beads of sweat dampened her forehead and she could feel her body begin to weaken. Dropping to one knee, she glanced at her shoulder; blood continued to pour from the wound even though it wasn’t that big. With her sight beginning to perish as well, she knew she had to get help.

Amalia knew she had to call Reno – and fast.

Reaching for her phone she kept on her, she immediately pushed Reno’s speed dial number and held it to her ear, the ringing causing her head to ache as the poison spread throughout her entire body. Keeping a secure eye on the man who was now trying to stand, all she heard was the ringing in her ear. But after the fifth ring, it finally stopped. 

“Hey babe what’s up? You done with your run already?”

“No…” she said weakly, the ailment kicking in faster than she had ever experienced before. “Reno, please…”

Reno could instantly tell something was off with her tone. “Amalia, what’s wrong?”

“Hey!” The man was finally on his feet and he stumbled towards her, his walking gradually grew back to normal the more he adjusted to his pain. “Who the fuck do you think you’re calling?! This battle is between you and me!”

“No stay away from me!” She stumbled backwards, but her muscles were weak and she was barely able to stand, let alone get away from this stranger. 

“Amalia!” She could hear Reno in her ear, but she was more afraid of the man who quickly made his way towards her, one dagger in hand and then the second as he grabbed it off the ground. The man gave her a creepy smile as he looked at the blood on the dagger. 

“I understand the poison’s taking affect. See? That’s what you get when you don’t properly fight me.”

“AMALIA!”

Knowing she had limited options, Amalia only did what she could; back flipped and landed on a lower ledge beneath the cliff. She continued to jump and hide until she concealed herself in the shadows knowing that the man couldn’t find her unless he knew the terrain as well as she did. Her breathing was labored, the pain within her chest unbearable. Holding the phone to her ear, she said, “Reno…help me.”

“Amalia Strife, what the hell is going on?”

“I’m being…attacked…”

“By who?!”

“I-I don’t know, he wouldn’t…tell me. Reno please…come save me…I’m hurt…”

“Hurt how babe?!”

Falling to her knees Amalia let out a grunt of pain and discomfort. Her free hand moved towards her shoulder, blood oozing between her fingers. Her breathing was labored, her vision fuzzy and her pain now becoming dreadful. “Shoulder…stabbed…” She could barely even form words, all her focus was on ensuring that she wouldn’t pass out and that the man wouldn’t be given the chance to find her. “Blade covered…poison…”

“Poison?! Amalia, where are you?”

“Cliff…hiding…Zack’s sword…”

“Amalia hold on as long as you can I’m leaving now!”

“Please…hurry…”

“There you are, you little sneak!” 

Amalia gasped and looked at the man who would not leave her alone. She trekked backwards until her back hit the cliff. Mustering all the strength she had in her body she said, “What do you WANT with me? Leave me alone!”

“No, not until I’ve had my way with you. I must follow my master’s orders.”

“No, stop! Please, just leave me alone!” She screamed as the man neared her, too weak to move until her body fell limp. The phone slipped through her fingers and it fell to the ground with a clunk, Reno’s voice still audible to her growing unconscious state of mind. 

“AMALIA!!”

~ oOo ~

Reno screamed Amalia’s name over and over as he frantically thrust his hand into his hair. After a few minutes, the line went dead, Reno unsure of what the hell was going on. Closing his phone, his raced upstairs and thrust his feet into his work combat boots. Once done, he made his way into the closet and unlocked the safe the two of them used that stored their materia; Reno grabbed Amalia’s Master Cure then made his way to the hallway cabinet where he grabbed numerous Hi-Potions and Antidotes, and any other medicinal liquids he thought Amalia might need. Throwing the items into a duffle bag and placing the materia within his arm, Reno raced out of the apartment and down to Shiva.

Starting its engine and racing through the city, Reno could barely contain the rage within himself to the point where his vision was becoming blurry, obvious from the way he almost hit several people before he made his way through the blusterous city. 

Godfucking damn it! How could I let this happen?! Amalia doesn’t know whose attacking her but I do…I know for a fact that this person is working for whoever is after her. Reno growled in frustration. Oh Amalia, please be safe. I’m coming to get you!

Reno pushed the gas even farther, the once humming engine burst to life as it roared with power, pushing the red head to the edge of the city where he was met with the vast wilderness that surrounded the city he now called home. Eyes focused on the road, Reno guided his way towards Zack’s sword and as he edged his way closer towards the memorial cliff where the once SOLDIER perished. As he drew closer, he looked above to the cliff and could see the faint outlines of two individuals; focusing his eyes, Reno noticed it was a male furiously kicking a female – Amalia – who was thrust across the way, skidding and landing on her side. 

She didn’t stand.

Pushing the bike to its limit, Reno gunned the machine up the hill. Rounding the corner, he pulled his own EMR from behind him and pushed the button, igniting his favorite aspect – the electricity. Finally atop the cliff, he only saw horror before his eyes as the man sustained in kicking Amalia throughout her body; her legs, her waist, and especially he shoulder. Staring only at the man, Reno steered Shiva in his direction and aimed at his body. He drove the bike closer and as he drove closer, the man finally turned to see Reno – but it was too late. 

Reno stabbed his EMR directly into the man’s lower stomach, and, combined with the force of his speed and the force of his thrust, he pushed the man completely off the cliff. Coming to a complete stop as he turned the bike around, Reno looked to see if the man somehow jumped to the other side, saving his ass from the deadly fall, for those who couldn’t survive it. Not finding the man within his sight, he jumped off the bike and ran towards Amalia, who still lay on the ground, unmoving. 

Dropping to his knees he immediately snatched a bottle of Antidote from the bag. Pulling Amalia forward until she rested on his left arm, he placed the bottle between her lips and slowly trickled the liquid down her throat, pleading that he wasn’t too late. 

He starred into her eyelids, hoping to see some form of life from her, but after a few minutes, he saw nothing. Thrusting his hand back into the bag, his hand found another bottle of Antidote, but as he was about to pop the cap off, a ragged cough escaped Amalia’s lips as she hacked more and more. His hand cradling her cheek, his eyes found her dim ones looking up at him. A tear made its way to the corner of his eye but he forbade it to fall – and so it didn’t. 

“Amalia…angel, are you ok? Do you need another Antidote?” 

She shook her head and whispered, “No…I’m just…really tired.”

“I’m gonna lay you back down ok? I brought your Master Cure, I’m going to fix your wound. This might sting so grab my hand if you need too.” Placing her back onto the ground, Reno held his right hand directly over where the blade cut through skin and muscle. The bleeding had eventually stopped, but a thick, red trail traveled from her shoulder down her arm and chest. His skin hovered over her injured wound, igniting the materia within his body, a heated sensation escaped Reno’s hand as his arm began to glow. Amalia’s eyes shut tightly and her hand found his; she hissed and tightened her grip. “I know babe, I know. But it’s working, only a few more minutes.” And Reno was speaking the truth. The more the materia glowed in his arm, the faster it healed her would. Reno could visually see the skin mingle itself and connect back together, the hole that was once there eventually disappeared; nothing remained except for the blood and a faint scar that told the story of her stabbing. 

The moment Reno released the magic of the materia, Amalia exhaled a strenuous sigh. She leaned forwards, held together by the strength of her lover’s arm where she gently touched the wound that was on her shoulder, feeling the scar that would remain forever; along with the rest of her battle scars. Grabbing one of the numerous Hi-Potions from the bag, he topped off the cap and handed it to her. She took it without asking and downed the potion, coloring almost immediately flooding back into her pale cheeks; her strength returned as well though Amalia could tell that she was going to be sore for the rest of the day. Looking up at Reno, she gave him a reassuring smile to indicate she was completely healed compared to a few minutes prior. 

Leaning down to kiss her forehead, Reno asked, “How’re you feeling?”

“Much better, thanks to you.” She diverted her eyes to look across their surroundings, unable to spot the strange man. As she tightened her grip on his arm she asked, “Where is he?”

“I flung him off the cliff with my EMR. Other than that, I dunno, angel.”

“Reno,” she leaned into his embrace, never wanting him to let her go. “If he comes back, will you protect me?”

“Oh babe…” he simply held her in his arms. Reno could feel Amalia’s body slightly shake from her sudden onslaught of fear. He replied, “You don’t even have to ask.” The two stayed in that position for as long as they could before Reno deemed that she should stand to stretch her legs and see if she could walk around. Holding her hand the entire time, Reno aided her in standing; she stumbled a few times but eventually made it to her. Amalia felt light-headed and slightly sick, but better than she had during the attack. With his help, she walked back to her bike where she caught sight of a flash; another dagger suddenly zoomed its way directly towards her. Acting on instinct, Reno gently pushed Amalia behind him and knocked the blade aside with his EMR.

The man crawled his way over the edge of the cliff and stood to his feet. A stream of blood leaked from the corner of his mouth and his breath was ragged. He held his hand out in front of him and the dagger, which now lay on the ground next to Reno, flew back towards its master when he caught it in his hand. “Well, isn’t this an interesting find. The greatest female warrior I was told of was nothing but a shitty-ass lie.”

Amalia cowered behind Reno, the man’s words somehow digging deep into her heart and she couldn’t stand to hear what he had to say; she clung tightly to the back of his shirt, not wanting to be in the spotlight anymore. Speaking in her defense, Reno yelled, “What the fuck are you talking about?”

The man laughed to the heavens. “I was sent here to assess the power of this female for I was told she could defend herself against any enemy. But from what I have seen, you, Reno of the Turks, have more power than this piece of shit does.”

Reno could feel Amalia grasping his shirt tighter and the vibration from her throat as she began humming to herself. Oh Ashe…baby you’re scared. Focusing his attention solely on the stranger, Reno held his EMR at eye level with the man; his eyebrows narrowed as his voice turned dark and wicked. “Don’t you fucking DARE speaking about Ashe in that manner. I don’t know who the fuck you are or who the fuck told you what you heard – but leave her alone. Got it?”

“So, it has come to my attention that this bitch is nothing without you, eh, Reno?”

“No, you’ve got it all wrong, you fucker. This woman is stronger than me and you combined.”

This made the man laugh hysterically. “Oh really now? Because from what I can tell, she was nothing but weak. But, no matter, I shall report this back to my master and he’ll decide what he wants to do next.”

“Wait! Who the fuck is this ‘master’? And what does he want with Amalia?!”

The man took a few steps back until he was standing on the very edge. “All in good time Reno. That girl will save the planet – but she needs more anger, and we can definitely feed her that emotion. Until next time! Oh, and please tell Amalia that she better be ready for next time!” The man jumped behind him and Reno expected him to fall to his death. That is, until the man’s body disintegrated as his image fell from the sky and he disappeared from sight.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I wish Reno was mine, but only Amalia is.

“C’mon…pick up the phone damn it…”

Reno paced around the apartment, the phone he held was glued to his ear and, for the thousandth time in twenty minutes, he ran his free hand through his fiery locks of hair. He had been trying to get a hold of the people at Healen but nobody was answering their phones. Rufus gave us all a vacation yet I know Tseng is there because Elena’s there…Rufus has to be there. He wanted to wait for Elena to heal before he began doing paperwork back at our main office here and Rude… well he could be there too.

Again, for the tenth time, the call rang and rang until finally it was sent to voicemail. “God damn it!” Reno yelled, throwing his fist into the air. He desperately wanted to throw the phone at the wall but opted not to, it wouldn’t solve the problem that was at hand. What the fuck do I do about this mess?! Reno couldn’t help but think to himself. He didn’t want Amalia to hear what he had to say; he didn’t want her asking questions he didn’t have an answer for. 

Looking above where he stood, Reno could hear the water from the shower she was taking. The sound was quiet and smooth, but she had been in there for quite some time and Reno wondered if she had used all of the hot water. Hell, if I was in her position, I’d want to take an extremely long shower as well. But thank Gaia she hasn’t really asked me anything. Yet…

The phone in his hand began to vibrate and Reno nearly ripped the phone in half simply trying to open it. He answered the call and threw the phone back to his ear. “It’s ‘bout time one of you answered the fucking phone!”

“What is it you want, Reno?” Tseng was the one who called him back – not exactly the person he wanted to talk to.

“Tseng! Look, I seriously need to talk to Rufus, this is important!”

“What about? Did something happen with Amalia?”

“Yeah, man…she was attacked…” Reno’s voice dropped even as he said it. Normally, it wouldn’t have bothered him; Amalia had been used to fighting for a majority of her life. But when it came to this…he just couldn’t talk about it. This time was different. For some reason, this attack was personal and he was scared that it was only going to get worse in the future. 

“Alright, hold on, let me go get Rufus.”

“Thanks man…” Reno began pacing around the room, winding his way from the kitchen, back into the living room, into the dining room, and then back to where he stood over by the staircase. A few minutes passed in silence when Rufus finally appeared on the other line. 

“Reno, I heard you have some important news for me,” Rufus stated.

“Sir this is more than important. Ashe was attacked within the last hour by a rookie of the person who’s after her.”

“Alright, alright calm down Reno.”

“H-how do you expect me to calm down, sir?! My girlfriend was attacked by the people after her. This is getting to be serious – they’re finally starting to take action.”

“I am well aware of that, Reno. But Amalia is there with you, is she not?”

He shook his head to himself. “No, she’s in the shower as we speak. The man wounded her shoulder pretty badly so she’s cleaning up.”

“I see. Alright, I’m going to need you to tell me everything that happened. And be as specific as you can be.” And so Reno began by explaining how she went on a morning run to relieve some stress from now sleeping. There’s no way in hell I’m telling him the real reason why, Reno thought. From there, he described the hysteric call he received from her to how he attacked the stranger when he finally made it to her side. 

“Ok, so did this man say anything about his motive? Or why he was sent there in the first place?”

“He…” Reno took a deep breath, mainly to calm his over-beating heart, but also to hear if Amalia was still in the shower. He couldn’t hear the water running but he knew he had a leeway amount of time before she came back downstairs. “He said that he was sent by his ‘master’ to survey Ashe’s strength. And then he basically had a hissy-fit and claimed that all the glory he had heard about her was all a lie and claimed she was pathetically weak.”

“What?” Reno could hear the frustration in his boss’ voice. “How is that possible? Amalia is…unbelievably strong.”

“And I told him that her power is stronger than his and mine combined, but he wouldn’t believe me. He then stated that she was…oh how did he say it…” Reno looked at the ground, forcing his memory to kick into gear. “That…Amalia is destined to save the world and that she needs more anger…”

“Hmmm, that is interesting.”

“Rufus? What’re we gonna do about this?” Even Reno could hear the shakiness in his voice – and that scared the shit out of him.

“Like I said – calm down. You need to keep a straight face in front of Amalia.”

“But Sir -”

“Reno just listen to what I’m telling you: stay by her side. I get that Amalia is a very independent woman, but you need to stay with her as long as you can. I hate to admit this, but if all they’re going to do right now is attack her, we can at least handle that, for now. And with you by her side, two people fighting them and learning their strategies, the better it is for us to protect her in the long run.”

“Sir…”

“What is it Reno?”

Reno took a deep breath. “I have your word that Ashe will stay safe?”

Rufus stayed silent for a few minutes. He didn’t know how to answer the question, so he stated the most plausible answer he could muster. “We’ll try our hardest.”

“No offence, sir, but that’s not very reassuring.”

“I apologize, Reno, but we’re doing the best we can.” Now it was his boss’ turn to take in a deep breath. “Listen, breathe, we’ll get through this. Has Amalia questioned anything?”

“No. As far as I know, she just thinks that this was a random stranger who decided to fight her because he could. He might have said something to her before I got there, but if he did, she acts of if she knows nothing.”

“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”

Reno’s ears perked, he could hear Amalia bustling around the room. He knew she was bound to come downstairs in a few. “I think we’ll have to cut this short. I think Ashe’s done.” 

“Ok, we’ll discuss the rest of this later and create a game plan if this happens again. We’ll record the info you’ve provided Reno. Let us know immediately if anything else happens.”

“No shit, sir.”

“Reno,” Rufus replied sternly. 

“I’m out, yo,” and Reno hung up on his boss. He knew that Rufus would have a ‘talk’ with him the next time they met but at that given point of time, he didn’t care. He shoved the phone in his back pocket and walked into the kitchen, suddenly wanting a cold beer to down. But as he made his way into the kitchen, it occurred to Reno that there probably weren’t any beers in the fridge. Please, please, please, please…he begged to himself. But as he opened the door and was, once again, met with the disgusting fumes that reaped his nose, Reno noted that there were indeed zero delicious beers within the cold machine. “Well fuck…”

“What’s wrong?”

Upon hearing a voice he didn’t expect to receive, Reno tried to back out of the fridge but banged his head into the top shelf of the fridge and instantly yelled curses into the air. Slowly, while holding the back of his head, Reno straightened his body and turned towards Amalia who finally graced her presence from upstairs. Amalia furrowed her eyebrows and attempted to hide her smile, but to no avail, it leaked through.

“Aw, are you ok sweetie?”

“Yeah,” Reno replied, as he continued to rub his head. “I’m fine, babe, just a tiny ass bump on the head.” Amalia walked towards him and, standing on her tip-toes, she kissed his forehead. 

“Better?”

“Always, babe.”

“Well good.” She peeked at the fridge behind him. “So what you were looking for in that death trap anyways?”

“An ice cold beer; it sounded good.” She nodded in agreement. Reaching forward, Reno cupped her cheek. “Hey, you doin’ ok?”

She nodded. “Yeah I feel much better, the shower really helped.”

“Are you…scared at all?”

She cocked her head to the side. “No..? Why would I be?”

He blinked and tried his hardest to dismiss his surprised expression. “I just…would’ve thought that this whole attack…thing might have frightened you a bit.”

“Well, maybe a little, I guess. I’m more confused than anything.” She leaned into his hand, wanting more comfort than he was providing. Taking the hint, Reno pulled her closer until her arms wrapped around his waist and hers around her shoulders. “I’m just going to play this off as the dude was either on some type of ‘medication’ or just wanted a match with one of the planet’s heroes.”

“Hmm, you could look at it that way.”

“Well then that’s how I’m gonna look at it!” She beamed up and him and stole a quick kiss from Reno’s lips. He growled on the inside, knowing he desperately wanted more but Amalia was the one who needed to tell him when she was ready. And he would wait as long as he had too; she was completely worth everything to him.

Even long term sexual frustration. 

Grabbing her hand, Reno tugged her towards the door. “Come on, let’s get out of this apartment and go grocery shopping and get some real food.” He glanced at the fridge behind him and cringed. “Gaia knows we need it.”

‘Good! S’bout damn time, but hold on!” Walking towards the walk-in pantry, Amalia came back with several reusable bags within her arms. They were ones she had been collecting since they had all built Edge a few years ago with a majority of them being gifts from Reno. Every time he went on a mission, he would always try and find a new reusable bag she didn’t have yet and give it to her when he returned. “Ready!” After both put their shoes on, they walked out the door, with Reno locking it behind them, and they were off. 

Walking out of their building, the couple walked across the street where, conveniently, a grocery store was placed. The first time Amalia acknowledged this she laughed and asked Reno if his decision in moving where he lived was coincidental or not and his reply was that it was better to live close to places that sold food since he didn’t have a car. It still puzzled her but it really was convenient on such occasions as today so she let it slide. 

Entering the air-conditioned store, Reno grabbed a cart while Amalia placed the bags in the small folding section where kids usually sat. On the way there, they each had agreed to hurry with the shopping; Amalia didn’t really want to be out in the public but inside the comfortable confines of the apartment with a certain red-head. Reno completely understood because he honestly just wanted to go home, snuggle on the couch and watch movies. 

And drink beer – he really needed that beer. 

They winded their way through the different isles; Reno pushed while Amalia grabbed what they needed. Gradually, their cart began to fill up and Amalia questioned whether she had enough bags with her or not. Snacks, chocolate, bread, milk, crackers, ice cream, cheese and a whole bunch of other items made it into their cart. Glancing at his watch, Reno noted that they had only been there for almost half-an-hour. Not bad, he thought. Sometimes we’re here way longer than this. 

Amalia’s voice brought him back to reality. Glancing into the cart, she counted with her fingers everything they had grabbed, mentally noting if there was anything they didn’t get. “I…think we got everything. Wait, did we get meat?”

“Yes,” Reno replied automatically. 

“Even sandwich meat?” He nodded. “What about chips?” He grabbed the bad of barbeque flavor that was positioned directly in front of her face. “Ok. And did we get rice?”

“Yes dear.”

“Eggs?”

“Yes.”

“Umm…”

“Ashe?”

“Yeah Reno?”

He walked around the cart and held her head in his hands, the tip of his nose brushing against hers. “I think we’re good. If we somehow forgot anything, we live across the street. Ok?”

She giggled. “Ok.” Kissing her, he walked back around the cart and they proceeded to checkout. Peeking into the cart one last time as they were walking, Amalia grinned and realized they were missing one crucial item. “So, was there anything you wanted that we forgot?”

“Heh, are you kidding me? I didn’t overlook anything, we’re perfectly fine, yo.”

“You sure about that?”

Reno raised an eyebrow at her then looked for himself. “Why? What did you think I… God damn it! I forgot the beer!” Leaving the cart, Reno walked past Amalia, who was grinning from ear to ear, to the next isle and grabbed two twelve-packs of his favorite brand, Red Dragon. Walking back, he placed the cases on the bottom rack and saw the look Amalia gave him. He knew he had walked into a trap. “Don’t even say it, yo.”

“Hey, I didn’t say anything.”

“Yeah but you were thinking it. I know you too well babe.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulder as they made their way to the registers. 

They waited in line and eventually made their way to the front. Ashe glanced around her, there were more people in the store than when she and Reno had arrived. I wonder why people are shopping today, it’s a Tuesday…an important holiday isn’t coming up anytime soon. She shrugged off her thoughts – even the rest of the world needed to purchase food. Assisting Reno with placing the food on the moving conveyor belt, they had all their items packed and paid for in no time. Amalia was still slightly shocked that the amount came close to two-hundred gil. Growing up with just enough money to survive, it still bothered Ashe that Reno could just spend his money the way he wanted, whenever he wanted. But, she tried to argue with herself. He works for his hard earned money so if he wants to spend it that way, so be it. 

Stepping out of the building, Amalia grabbed as many bags that could fit on her arms and Reno grabbed the rest, somehow managing to carry the two twelve-packs with everything else that was cradling his arms. As quickly as they could, they walked across the street, balancing bags and beer in their arms, the couple merged into traffic and diligently waited for the elevator to take them upstairs once they walked inside their building. “This thing doesn’t move fast enough,” Amalia finally said.

“I don’t hear you complaining when we don’t have two-hundred gill worth of groceries in our arms, yo.”

“Touché my red headed boyfriend,” she smiled up in his direction as the machine finally graced the couple with its presence. As soon as they stepped it, the elevator quickly made its way to the top floor where they questioned the sudden speed, but practically ran to the door. Setting a few bags down, along with a much needed sigh of relief, Amalia unlocked the door and Reno stepped in first, pushing the door back more so she could enter. Once inside, she kicked the door shut and waddled to the kitchen where Reno was already placing his bags on the floor. They both stood in front of the fridge, not knowing who should be the unlucky one to mess with the putrid smelling appliance. 

“Want to do the usual?”

“Yeah, I ain’t volunteering to clean that contraption, yo!” He smiled, with a serious tone etched into his response.

“Alright, let’s get this done quick.” Holding a fist in front of each other, they both said, “Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!” Amalia opted for the paper whereas Reno decided to go with rock.

“Damn it!” He yelled into the air, his eyes glaring at the metal deathtrap he did not want to mess with. 

Amalia patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry Reno, the sooner you get that shit outa there the sooner you’ll be done!”

Mimicking her statement under his breath, he began to work. Cautiously opening the door, Reno scrunched his nose and searched for the culprit. In which, he discovered, was the makings of a takeout container from his favorite sushi place, a half-full carton of milk and small items here and there that had, coincidentally, went past their due date. Grabbing the carton, Reno instantly knew that there was no more liquid inside, all he heard was clunk, clunk, clunk as he shook the carton. 

While Reno had been attempting to breathe and not die, Amalia had preoccupied herself by finding the correct spots for everything they had purchased. She found all the items that belonged in the fridge and placed them on the table, then focused on putting all the dry products into the pantry. Once finished, she grabbed the trash can and gave it to Reno, only to thrust her hand over her mouth from upchucking whatever was in her stomach. “Oh dear god!”

Reno threw the few containers he held into the trash can and moved back to the fridge and grabbed some more. “That’s what I said, yo!”

“There’s gonna be nothing left in your fridge at this point.”

“Thus the point of grocery shopping, yo,” he replied sarcastically. 

“Ha, ha, very funny Reno. You almost done yet?”

“Yep! Got the last of it right here.” He walked back to Amalia who held the trash can and he threw away a few more take out boxes.

“Damn Reno! How many times to you go out to get food?” Staring down into the bucket of death, Amalia couldn’t believe how much Reno loved take-out.

“Well…remember, there was that week right before I left for my mission where we didn’t see each other. And I was too lazy to make any food so I ordered everything I ate.”

“And you decided to leave it all in the fridge?!”

“Hey!” He gave her the look that sent a shiver down Amalia’s spine. Reno wasn’t necessarily mad, more the fact that Amalia immediately noticed his stupidity. “I never said I was smart, alright?”

“I know,” she walked up and quickly kissed him. “But that never stopped me from loving you.”

“Gaia, I hope not.”

Setting the trash can away from where they stood, both Reno and Amalia placed the cold products into the now-clean fridge before they lost their coolness. The table was full of products such as milk, cheese, meat, water and then Reno’s cases of beer. They opened one case of his beer, placed all the glass bottles inside then set the unopened case on top of the fridge. Glancing around the kitchen, Reno was glad that all their groceries had been put away, all that was left was to take out the trash, but he didn’t really feel like it just yet. But, the longer his eyes lingered on the deadly bag of noxious vapors, he ultimately decided that he had to do it – it would save them in the long run. Grabbing the bag, he walked towards the door and turning towards Amalia, who was turning the corner to make her way upstairs, and said, “Babe, I’m headed down to the trashcan. I need to get rid of this thing before we suffocate to death.”

She smiled. “Got it Reno, I’ll see you in a few.”

Hearing the click shut, Amalia made her way upstairs to their bedroom, desperately wanting to change her clothes into something comfy. After what happened earlier that morning, all she wanted to do was sit on the couch and not do a damn thing. Walking inside, she made a beeline straight for their closet and searched for her black sweats and purple tank top Reno had brought her back from Costa Del Sol. Discarding her jeans and simple t-shirt, she quickly changed and sighed, knowing she was much comfier than before. Glancing in the bathroom on her way out, she decided to grab the towel bin and run a load of laundry. Hugging the bin against her hip, Amalia walked down the hallway and opened the door that led to the laundry room.

Walking inside, she set the bin down next to the washing machine and began placing in the towels until the machine was full. Pouring in some detergent, she closed the lid and left the bin where it was, Amalia still had another load to go; no point in dragging it all the way back to their bathroom. As the washer ran the load, Amalia made her way back downstairs, grabbed a water bottle from the kitchen and the bag of yarn that sat on the edge of the couch, the spot where she always kept her yarn when she was working on a crochet project. 

Just as she plopped down onto the couch, with her back against the armrest with her legs sprawled across the cushions, Reno walked in through the front door, locked it and headed straight for the kitchen to finally grab a can of beer he had been wanting. Amalia began unwinding the blue ball of yarn until she had enough loose ends to have a good start on the project she had been working on for a while when Reno sat down on the couch and opened his can of beer. Plopping his legs onto the coffee table, a sigh escaped his lips and he turned his head towards Amalia who placed her legs on top of his lap. “Feels good to just sit, huh?”

“Oh yes it does,” she replied without looking up; her eyes were solely focused on intertwining the yarn, using different stitches such as the Double Crochet, Single Crochet, the Crocodile Stitch and even skipping over stitched to create a gap in the yarn.

Reno eyed her intently and wondered how Amalia could work with a curved needle and some yarn and be able to create something so intricate and beautiful. “So how’s the project coming along?” He took a swig of the beer.

“Good!” She smiled brightly and Reno thanked the gods that she wasn’t at all disturbed from this morning’s encounter. 

“So what all are you making for the kid? I don’t think I ever asked you that.”

“Well I finished the baby blanket last week, so that’s still over at the bar. But right now I’m working on making a shirt and diaper outfit.” She stopped crocheting and held up what she had of the shirt. Amalia wasn’t sure what gender the baby would be but she believed all babies should be in every color and not stereotyped to what gender they were. Right now she was in the midst of completing the shirt portion, the blue and green interweaving of colors was bright and bubbly, something Reno thought her friends would like. 

“I think Vincent and Yuffie are going to love it.”

“You really think so?” She looked down at her creation and back up at him.

“That I do, yo. They’re getting a handmade gift from your for their first child. They would be stupid if they hated it. But that’s just my opinion.” He took a drink of his beer.

“Aw, that makes me so happy to hear!” She went back to stitching the creation together. 

Reno took another drink and before he knew it, he had downed the bottle. Leaning forward, he placed the empty bottle on the table and stretched his limps, finally resting with his arms crossed behind his head. “Have you talked to the couple recently?”

Amalia kept her eyes on the project the entire time, occasionally looking up, but always working the stitches she needed to complete the garment, never once faltering in the process. “Yuffie called me…last week or the week before. She and Vincent are doing great and so is the baby.”

“I forget, yo, how far along is she?”

“I believe she’s six months along now.”

Reno whistled. “Damn, she’ll pop that kid out before we know it, yo.”

“I know. But it’s exciting isn’t it? Out of all of us, she’ll be the first person to have a child.”

Reno eyed Amalia suspiciously. “Are you…upset by that?”

“No, why would I be?”

“I dunno babe, you just…sounded different when you said that.”

“It’s not that…” Amalia’s fingers moved like clockwork – one stitch, and then another, and another, and another. She could watch an entire movie and still be able to crochet without looking at what she was doing. “I dunno…I’m so happy for her and Vincent, really, I am. Sometimes I just wish it could happen to me.”

Shaking his head, Reno couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “Wait, are you telling me you want a kid, yo? I thought she weren’t sure whether that’s what you wanted?”

She shook her head. “That’s not what I’m talking about.”

“But, then what…” Reno blinked a few times when she stopped and actually looked up at him. “Oh. Ok, never mind, I get it.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m sorry babe.”

“Don’t be!” She smiled. “I’m not mad or anything. Just stupid girl feelings. It happens.” She continued to smile and Reno questioned whether or not to believe the honesty of her answer. Amalia was a complex woman; as long as he had known her, she was completely different compared to all the other females he had known in his life – even those he had slept with. Reno knew she eventually wanted to settle down and get married, but she wasn’t the type that felt pressured to marry as soon as she had the chance; she enjoyed the life she was given. This made Reno smile, knowing that he was a part of her life and how he provided some of her happiness.

He was about to ask her another question when he cell began to vibrate in his pocket. Fumbling for the device, Amalia peered over her project and raised an eyebrow. He knew she was questioning the same thing. “If this is Rufus telling me to come into work today I’m gonna be pissed…” Finally pulling the device out of his pocket, Reno laughed when he saw the caller id. Answering it, he yelled, “Rude, partner! What’s up, yo?”

“Hello Reno. How’s Amalia doing? I heard from Rufus what happened.”

“Oh. Well she’s ok. Wanna talk to her directly?” Rude mumbled a reply and Reno handed the phone to Amalia, who eagerly wanted to talk to his partner. She placed the project down in her lap and instantly put the phone to her ear. 

“Hiya Rude!” Reno couldn’t help but smile. Who would’ve thought that these two would become best pals like they are? But then again, so much has changed these past few years; I really should stop questioning the unbelievable. “What did I do to receive a phone call from you today?”

“I haven’t talked to you in a while and wanted to see if Reno was treating you right.”

Amalia stole a peek at Reno who raised an eyebrow. “Oh don’t worry. This red-head is treating me just fine.”

“Good, that’s what I like to hear.”

“So why did you really call, Rude?”

“I – uh…”

“Rude, you’re just like Reno; I can tell when you guys really need something. Now spill.”

“Hmm. Well, I know you’re spending some time with Reno but I was wondering if we could hit the bar for a few drinks?”

“Why are you asking me? Reno’s a big boy, he can decide if he wants to go on his own.”

“Yeah but, it’s his time off and he’s spending it with you.”

“So? If he wants to go I won’t stop him.” Amalia laughed. Rude was such a sweetheart. “Look, I’m cool with it, seriously. Just promise both of you won’t get completely plastered, ok? I would appreciate it if he didn’t come home reeking of alcohol.”

“Yes ma’am.”

“Good. Then here’s Reno. Have a hard drink for me Rude!” She handed the phone back to the red-head and began to work on the project again. She giggled here and then as she shook her head. 

“Yo, Rude, so what’s happening?”

“We’re hitting a bar. I need a drink and I think you do too.”

“Hey I’m totally down! Are you there now? Same place?”

“No, I’m at Moogle’s Place.”

“’k, I’ll be there soon.”

“Bye.”

Reno shut the phone and looked over at Amalia. “He told you he wanted to go drinking, didn’t he?”

“Course I did. He wanted to ask for my permission so you could go. I told him I didn’t care; if you want to go I’m not gonna stop you.” 

“Damn girl, I seriously don’t deserve you.”

“I know, just keep reminding yourself that.”

“So what’re you gonna do while I’m gone?” Moving her legs, Reno stood and stretched his back as Amalia moved her legs back along the couch. 

“Work on this and probably put a movie in. You know I prefer to have some background noise.”

“Want me to put it in for you?”

Stopping her movements, Amalia looked at Reno and smiled. “That would be amazing.”

“Let me guess…Rush Hour?”

“You know me too well.”

“I know, keep reminding yourself that.” She stuck her tongue out as Reno placed the movie in the system and handed her the remote. “Anything else, angel?”

“Um…I could go for a beer myself.”

“No problem.” Reno walked into the kitchen but as his feet stepping onto the tile flooring he waited three seconds before…

“Oh Reno? Could I also have a bowl of chips, please?” 

“Coming up!” I knew she wanted something else, Reno thought as he poured the BBQ chips into a bowl and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Walking back into the living room, he pulled the table closer to the couch and placed the bowl and the beer on the wood surface. “All right. Sure you don’t need anything else babe?”

She smiled up at him and he returned the facial expression. “No, I’m good. But you should leave so you don’t keep Rude waiting.”

“Oh he’ll be fine, Ashe. Mind if I take Shiva?” She shook her head and he leaned forward to kiss the top of her head. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone but I promise I won’t be super late, yo.”

“Just stay safe – that’s all I ask, ok? Oh! And please don’t come home reeking of alcohol. I already warned Rude of that as well.”

“That I can promise babe.” Grabbing her keys off the small stand by the door, Reno said goodbye and left the apartment and took the stairs down to the main floor before he sped off on his girlfriend’s motorcycle. 

~ oOo ~

“Rude, why did you really call me here?” Reno took a long swig of his beer before setting it back on the bar. He looked over at his sunglass-clad friend and watched as Rude already finished his first beer. 

“Damn, you and Amalia both?”

“Both what?”

“You both can tell when someone needs something that they’re not expressing.”

“Oh you need something partner? What is it?”

“No, Reno, I don’t need anything.”

Reno blinked and slowly took another drink, becoming confused as each second passed. “Than…we’re here cause…why?”

Rude gently slammed his empty mug on the counter. “Rufus told me what happened to Amalia.”

“Ah, that. I figured he would inform you and the others. What all did he tell you?”

“Everything you told him. So it really did happen, huh?”

“Yeah. Scary shit happened this morning.” Reno began retelling Rude exactly what happened, beginning from when Amalia left the apartment until they finally left the outskirts and made it back home. It had taken Reno about twenty minutes to explain everything to Rude, he kept stopping every few minutes, not able to handle what he was saying. Damn, this is getting hard, he thought. I can’t even tell Rude. If all that happened was her getting attacked, how am I going to happen if anything worse happens to Ashe?

The bartender came back around and refilled his mug. He knew who Reno and Rude were, since they were familiar customers and knew the drinks each Turk preferred to have. “Sup Reno, Rude! How’ve you two been lately? Haven’t seen ya in quite a while!”

“Sorry Max, we had some stuff to take care of for work.”

“Ah, Rufus still keepin’ you busy, eh?”

“When needed,” Rude stated.

“Well, it puts money on the table, does it not?”

“That it does!” Reno said and tilted his head back as the alcohol seeped down his throat. “Damn, that’s the stuff!”

“Reno, where’s your pack of smokes, man? You’re usually smoking one by know.”

“Max, didn’t you hear?” The bartender looked at Rude and held a questionable expression. “He quit - about three years ago.”

“What?!” Max turned towards Reno, who only drank more of his beer. “Why’d you quit, man? You were addicted to those things!”

“I quit for my girl.” Was all Reno said, though on the inside, he was beaming. Yeah he had loved smoking, but he loved Amalia more and she couldn’t stand him smoking or the smell. It affected her lungs too much and she would always have severe coughing fits whenever he smoked around her so he up and quit for her sake, as well his.

“You tellin’ me you quit three years ago and I didn’t notice?!”

“Sorry Max, but you’re not that observant,” Reno said.

“Well damn. I mean, congrats. I bet it was ridiculously hard since you probably smoked a pack a day, if not more. That means you’ve got one lucky girl for you to up and quit for her.”

Reno’s voice dropped. “Yeah, she means everything to me.”

Max refilled his glass for the second time. “Then do everything you can to keep her safe. It’s about time you settle down with someone you care deeply for.” Max walked off to go assist other customers, but Reno and Rude could hear him mutter as he walked off, “Three freaking years…”

Rude spoke up. “Reno, listen. Don’t let today bother you. As long as you stay by her side, everything will be ok.”

“Heh…thanks partner. I’m stressin’ myself out by thinking about this shit. Today just…scared the living shit outa me. What if something worse happens to her in the future? What if I’m not there?”

“Like I said, don’t worry about it. Rufus is working on something right now.”

“Oh, is he now?”

“Yeah. He wants to keep Amalia safe just as you do.” Rude took a drink. “He cares about her in his own way.”

Reno peered at his friend. “Seriously? We’re talkin’ about Rufus Shinra, right?”

“Think about it. She’s practically the reason he survived the attack from Weapon back then. It’s almost like he’s in her debt.”

“And he told you this directly?”

“No. Just a hunch I have.” Rude down his beer. “So what else has been happening to you lately? Did it finally happen?” Knowing what he meant, Reno shook his head and drank his own beer, knowing that his partner was staring at him wide-eyed from behind his dark lenses. “Still nothing? Damn. Ironic how you were the womanizer out of all of us then the moment you get into a serious relationship, you can’t get laid.”

“It doesn’t really bother me, yo.”

“Shit, man! Last time we went drinking you told me it did. So what’s the truth?”

“I’m being honest here. Amalia and I had a serious talk last night after we had dinner. She finally told me her reasons for us not having sex.”

Rude waited patiently as his partner starred down at his half-full mug. “So what’d she say?”

Reno took a deep breath. “She’s afraid that once we have sex I’ll leave her.” He peered over at Rude who actually dropped his mouth down to the counter. “She knows that I used to get laid…quite often and she’s come to this conclusion that I’m only with her so I can have sex then leave and go on my merry way.”

Rude was quite for a second. “Wow…” he whispered.

“I know. I couldn’t believe it last night when she told me. I still find it hard to believe.”

“It makes sense though, when you think about it.”

“Aw man, why do you say it like that, yo?”

“Reno, face it – you were quite infamous in Midgar for sneaking your way into girl’s pants for a night of stupid fun. In comes Amalia, who has never had a serious relationship before, and you two end up being together – for four years, if I might add. Hate to say it buddy, but I can see why she’s afraid.”

Reno stayed quiet and looked back down at the remaining liquid in his mug. He knew Rude was right, it made sense when his partner stated it like that. “Damn…” He set the mug down and threw his face into his hands. “I’m not upset with her. I’m angry and frustrated with myself! I never wanted to hurt her with my frivolous past!”

“I know you didn’t Reno. What did you tell her?”

He drew in a shaky breath. “I told her that I’d let her decid. Whenever she was ready is when we would do it.”

“I think that’s your best bet.”

“Strange thing is…if we never have sex…I wouldn’t mind.” Reno looked over at Rude who, once again, had dropped his mouth, this time all the way to the floor. “What, yo?

“Ok, who the hell are you and what have you done with Reno the Turk?”

“Man, it’s still me! I’m being serious here, yo!”

“I know you are Reno it’s just…damn! I never thought I’d here you say that.”

“I mean, don’t get me wrong, I want to have sex with her, I want to have that connection with her but…she is so unbelievably special to me that I’d rather give up sex for the rest of my life than lose her. Is that bad?”

“No, that just means you’ve found your soulmate.”

“I think so too partner, I think so too.”

“So…”

“So…what?”

“When you gonna ask her to marry your sexless ass?”

~ oOo ~

The clocked chimed exactly ten o’clock when Reno walked through the door to his apartment; he and Rude had stayed at the bar for a few hours. Reno stopped drinking after two beers and had water for the rest of the night whereas Rude kept having one beer after another, eventually stopping after six, but the man had a stomach of gold and could ingest alcohol as if it was air. As he locked the door, Reno sighed. Although he it had been a great stress reliever to talk to his longtime partner, Reno was simply happy to be home with Amalia.

“Hey Ashe, I’m home.” He took a few steps away from the door and was about to call her name again when he spotted her on the couch. Chuckling to himself, Reno walked to the edge of the couch and stood there, his eyes set of the beautiful creature that lay before him. Amalia was lying on her side; cuddled under the blanket she made Reno for his birthday last year with the fabric pulled up to cover her mouth. Her eyes were gently shut and her blonde cascade of hair tumbled behind her and framed her face against the pillow. 

Reno couldn’t help but stare at the most mesmerizing spectacle before him. He was appalled at the beauty Amalia held and couldn’t grasp the idea that she was his and continued to be his. Rude’s words from earlier that night echoed in his head. When you gonna ask her to marry your sexless ass? He knew Rude was right, they had been together long enough and were basically living together; he knew her inside and out as she did him. Without a doubt Reno wanted to stay with Amalia as long as possible but…marriage?

Shaking his head, Reno quietly turned off the television and pulled the crocheted blanket off of Amalia’s soft body. When the room temperature blew against her delicate skin, she curled up into a tighter ball, her lips quivering from the lack of heat she had grown accustomed too. Folding the blanket and tossing it into the chair, Reno turned off the rest of the lights, save for the light above the stairs so he could see, and lifted Amalia into his arms. One arm cradled her legs while the other held a strong grip against her back. Though still in a deep sleep, Amalia cuddled against Reno’s warm body, her head unconsciously found the crook of his neck where she always placed it. Leaving the confines of downstairs, Reno made his way to the bedroom and placed Amalia on her side. 

Quickly and quietly as he could, he began to disrobe her still clothed body. I find it odd that Ashe’s still in her normal clothes, Reno explained to himself as her pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. Usually when Ashe knows she might fall asleep she changes into her pajamas. Has she been asleep since I left? Walking to the dresser, Reno pulled out a clean shirt for him and one for Amalia and a pair of his boxers she could wear. Walking back to her side, Reno pulled her body towards him so she was sitting in an upright position, her head rolled against his chest as he placed her arms through the shirt and eventually over her head. Reno kept his eyes closed so he would not be tempted to glance at her semi naked self. He kept her bra on, knowing she would really be mad at him if he took it off himself without her knowing. Sorry angel, I’ll understand if you get mad, but I wanted you to sleep in something more comfortable. Same went for her shorts. As he pulled them down and off her slim hips, he closed his eyes and quickly dressed her in his boxers. Mentally, Reno could hear his past self, who was laughing at him but Reno ignored it. He was doing what would make Amalia happy and that was all he cared about. 

Finally dressing himself, Reno had just thrown his shirt onto the floor when he heard Amalia mumble behind him. Turning to the bed, he saw she turned onto her side, her eyes squeezed together ad her breathing had increased. She must be having a bad dream.

“Reno…” Amalia whispered softly. Or, maybe not, he thought. 

Putting his own shirt on, Reno stood at the foot of the bed and watched as Amalia tossed all over her side of the bed, until she eventually found herself lying on her back. Her head continued to move left and right as her hands moved slowly up her body. “Ohhhh…Reno…” she whispered again. 

Reno’s eyes immediately widened. Holy fuck. Is she…? Amalia gasped lightly and her head tilted backwards, her mouth slightly open as her breath came and went in short, heated pants. She continued to moan and whimper, redness glowed upon her cheeks and Reno instantly knew what she was dreaming about. “Holy fuck, that is so hot,” he whispered to himself. 

Taking off his pants, Reno didn’t need to glance down to know that there was pressure within his boxers. He knew his erection was growing the more he watched and listened to Amalia. He had seen her when she really wanted to kiss him or after a long make-out session. But never before had he seen her so…turned on. Reno’s hands fell to the bulge and lightly touched it. He gasped but quickly pulled away, though his breathing wouldn’t calm down. Damn! As hot as this is right now, it’d feel wrong to do something while Amalia’s asleep. But fuck! That mouth, her legs, her…

“Reno…” Amalia’s voice eluded Reno’s thoughts and he was brought back to staring at his lustful girlfriend. “Oh god…Reno!” Son of a bitch! “D-don’t stop…Reno please…I want…to feel your tongue, p-please…” Oh man, I’ve never heard this from Ashe before. This is…oh fuck, I can’t…I gotta do something…

Just as Reno edged the tips of his fingers into the waistband of his boxers, Amalia cried out, her voice bouncing off the walls, straight into his ears and down into his groin. “Reno! I’m gonna…gah!” Tilting her head back, Amalia moaned as she arched her back. At that moment, Reno withheld a scream within his own throat as he exploded within his boxers. Reno and Amalia’s breathing synced in unison as both attempted to control their breathing. A few minutes passed as Amalia grew quiet and rolled onto her side again, the last words to escape her mouth before she feel back into a deep sleep were, “Don’t stop loving me.”

Reno blinked his eyes several thousand times; he could not believe what just happened, but as his semen slowly dripped down his leg, Reno was brought back to the now. As quick as he could, he grabbed a clean pair of boxers and dashed towards the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. Dropping the semen-covered material, Reno grabbed his used towel from this morning and scrubbed the milky liquid off him and dried his thighs. Holy fuck, holy shit, holy motherfucker…

Once clean, Reno replaced his dirty boxers with a clean pair and gripped the edge of the counter. Staring at himself, Reno exhaled a sigh and shook his head. What the hell just happened? I…I can’t believe it. Amalia just – and then I…? Wow…I didn’t do a damn thing and that’s what happened? Looking back into the mirror, he smiled softly whispered, “I fucking love that woman.” Reno pulled the leather strap that bound his hair and placed it on the counter. He walked back into the room and lay down next to Amalia, who instantly cuddled against him as he placed an arm around her. “I love you, Reno…” was the last thing Reno heard before his eyes drifted off into a dreamless sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> I love comments; comments make my day; they make me happy :)


End file.
